L.A. 2028 Olympics threatened as wildfires continue to rage across city
With fires blazing out of control across the Southern California city, questions have arisen surrounding the next Summer Games
After a week of fires burning out of control across Los Angeles, many have questioned whether the city will be able to host the next Summer Olympics. The Games are not until 2028, but the fires have devastated Los Angeles, completely destroying homes, neighbourhoods, and buildings across the entire city.
Los Angeles is supposed to host the Olympics in 2028.
How do you think the fires will affect the Olympics?
— Rare 🇺🇸 (@RareImagery) January 11, 2025
The first of the fires started on Jan. 7, just under a week ago, and as more and more fires began to blaze, Los Angeles was thrown into a state of emergency. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced and even more have evacuated as the fires rage on, and the death toll has tragically risen to 24 as of Monday.
So far, the multiple fires have destroyed more than 35,000 hectares of land. With fires still ablaze citywide, some of the L.A. 2028 venues are at risk of burning, too. The Riviera Country Club and Sepulveda Basin are a pair of locations slated to host Olympic events. The Riviera Country Club would be the site of the Olympic golf tournaments, while organizers planned to use the Sepulveda Basin for archery, BMX, and skateboarding events.
Los Angeles’s Rose Bowl Stadium (set to host Olympic soccer games in 2028) is also in an evacuation zone and at risk. The triathlon is set to be held in Long Beach, an area that has so far been spared by the ongoing fires.
The International Olympic Committee and L.A. 2028 organizing committee have yet to speak on the situation. There are of course more pressing matters at the moment, but when the fires are eventually under control and no longer a threat, there will certainly be discussions to determine the fate of the next Summer Games.