Over the last week, wildfires have devastated Los Angeles. At least 25 people have been killed, hundreds of thousands have been evacuated from their homes, and entire suburbs have burned to the ground.
As firefighters work to contain the, the damage has prompted questions about whether the city will be able to host a series of major sport events over the next few years.
LA is scheduled to host matches in the FIFA men’s World Cup in 2026, the NFL Super Bowl in 2027, and the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in.
The Games
LA won its bid to host the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2015.
The Games will span 30 days in total, and are set to cost the city an estimated $US7 billion ($AU11.3 billion).
Estimates suggest the fires have already caused $US250 billion ($AU402 billion) in damages and economic losses.
In order to successfully win a bid to host the Games, cities must have enough space for sporting events, and enough accommodation for visitors.
It’s estimated that Paris hosted over 11 million visitors during the Olympics alone last year.
While no Olympic venues have been impacted by the LA fires yet, fires have damaged or burned 12,300 structures across the city.
Other events
The next major sporting event LA will host is the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup, which will be held across Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.
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Eight matches are currently set to be held in LA, including one of the quarter-final games.
Six months later, LA will host the 2027 NFL Super Bowl, one of the biggest events on the U.S. sport calendar.
330,000 visited Las Vegas last year when it hosted the Super Bowl.
Weather
Increasingly volatile weather in California may threaten future events.Up until two years ago, the state was in an intense period of drought.
That was followed by wet conditions, which led to the quick growth of vegetation. A return to drought conditions last year made this vegetation susceptible to wildfires.
According to a new study published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth and Environment, climate change has increased the frequency of these ‘whiplash’ conditions by up to 66% since the middle of last century.
Response
California Governor Gavin Newsom is confident that the city will be ready to host major sporting events in the coming years.
He told NBC: “My humble position, and it’s not just being naively optimistic, [is] that it only reinforces the imperative [of] moving quickly, doing it in the spirit of collaboration and cooperation”.
In a statement, LA 2028 chair Casey Wasserman said: “When Los Angeles welcomes the wold in 2028, our spirit will shine brighter than ever before.”
