Several figures have called for the 2028 Olympics to be moved to a different city amid all the rebuilding Los Angeles is going to have to do after being ravaged by wildfires.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has said that the upcoming Olympics "only reinforces the imperative of moving quickly, doing it in the spirit of collaboration and cooperation."
Newsweek has contacted his Office of Public Affairs and the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games (LA28), via email, for comment.
Why It Matters
With major parts of Los Angeles destroyed, multiple Olympic venues may have to be rebuilt for the event – several of the Olympic venues are close to some of the fires.
Critics of Newsom, including conservative media figure Charlie Kirk, have said Los Angeles is not "qualified" to host the Olympics.
What to Know
The deadly fires have put the governance of California in the spotlight, with L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley telling CNN her department has had to fight the blazes after being subject to budget cuts up to $17 million.
A reporter from NBC News' Meet The Press asked Newsom directly: "Over the course of the next several years Los Angeles will be host to the World Cup and then the Super Bowl and then the Olympics. With this rebuilding effort needing to take place, is L.A. going to be ready for all these global events?"
Newsom answered that these upcoming events only add to Los Angeles' incentive to rebuild.
He said: "President Donald Trump was helpful in getting the Olympics to the United States of America—to get it down here in L.A., we thank him for that. This is an opportunity for him to shine, for this country to shine, for California and this community to shine."
"That's why we're already organizing a Marshall Plan, we already have a team looking, re-imagining L.A. 2.0 and we're making sure everyone's included."
Associate professor in sport management at Florida State University Timothy Kellison told the BBC: "Wildfires are really a wildcard, because we are trying to predict something that is largely unpredictable in terms of size and scope, and yet there is much research that indicates they will continue to grow, the seasons will become longer and the devastation will unfortunately increase."
He added: "For quite some time now researchers and scholars have been sounding some alarms about the suitability and feasibility of sport and large sporting events like the Olympics Games and World Cup around the world."
What Are People Saying
Trish Regan, who hosts the podcast The Trish Regan Show shared this clip and said: "Gavin Newsom claims the coming Olympics is why Los Angeles must be rebuilt. Is he high? We must move the Olympics OUT of CA as fast as possible. Austin, Dallas, Miami, Ft Lauderdale — any of those locations would be GREAT. California's leadership CANNOT be trusted."
Gavin Newsom claims the coming Olympics is why Los Angeles must be rebuilt.
Is he high?
We must move the Olympics OUT of CA as fast as possible.
Austin, Dallas, Miami, Ft Lauderdale — any of those locations would be GREAT.
California’s leadership CANNOT be trusted. pic.twitter.com/Bf1CKyjLIp
Kirk said: "The Los Angeles Olympics should be canceled. If you can't fill a fire hydrant, you aren't qualified to host the Olympics. Move them to Dallas, or Miami, so the world's athletes can compete in a place capable of actually safely building and running something."
The Los Angeles Olympics should be cancelled.
If you can't fill a fire hydrant, you aren't qualified to host the Olympics.
Move them to Dallas, or Miami, so the world's athletes can compete in a place capable of actually safely building and running something.
What Happens Next
Los Angeles is still battling major blazes, with the biggest one, the Palisades Fire, spanning 23,713 acres, and only 17 percent contained, according to CALFIRE.
California's approach to rebuilding what is destroyed, and the impact on L.A.'s hosting ability, is yet to be seen.
English (US) ·