There have been calls for the 2028 Olympics to be relocated from Los Angeles after the devastating wildfires in the city.
Olympic Games were awarded to the Los Angeles back in 2017 during an International Olympic Committee session in Lima, Peru and a passing of the torch took place in the 2024 Olympic closing ceremony - with Tom Cruise, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Snoop Dogg and Billie Eilish all involved in the handover.
LA last hosted the Olympics back in 1984 and it's said they will need to raise a whopping $7 billion for the next event, which will see the return of five sports.
However, in recent times LA has been ravaged by wildfires, with flames spanning across more than 40,000 acres since they were ignited on January 7.
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According to ABC News, at least 27 people have been killed in multiple wildfires, with 82,000 people under mandatory evacuation orders and 90,000 hit with evacuation warnings.
Firefighters continue to engage with the Palisades, Hurst and Eaton fires which have also destroyed thousands of structures in Los Angeles County.
And with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom widely criticised for their handling of the fires, many U.S political figures have petitioned for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to move the Olympic Games from the area.
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On social media, Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk said LA should not stage the Games, while Jim Jordan, the representative of Ohio’s fourth congressional district, has taken the same stance.
After Newsmax host Rob Finnerty asked if the Olympics should be relocated to a "red city where you know things are going to be run properly”, Jordan said: “I do think the American people rightly see how poorly that state is being run, how poorly these tragic fires have been handled by the governor and, of course, the mayor there in Los Angeles."
LA will also be a host city for the World Cup next year, with the SoFi Stadium also pencilled in for the Superbowl in 2027.
According to The Independent, the Olympics is poised to bring in 15 million visitors and take place at 50 venues throughout the area, which has plans for a major revamp of its metro system.
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The aforementioned report notes there is no word on if Trump is able to move the games to another city in the US.
Topics: Olympics
Josh Lawless