"Hosting the summer Olympics used to be a dream for many global cities, but it is now seen by many as more of a nightmare. There's the cost of hosting $10bn and up, in recent years the displacement of local residents, the environmental toll, and the risk of being left, like Rio de Janeiro or Athens, with major debt and crumbling Olympic stadiums."
"This would be a challenge in any context, but it has grown far more difficult recently. Los Angeles has spent much of 2025 in crisis. The number of Hollywood projects being filmed in the region has dropped dramatically in recent years, leaving the region's entire economy shaky. Then, in January, historically damaging wildfires made worse by the climate crisis burned down 16,000 homes and other buildings and killed 31 people."
"In June, federal agents began staging aggressive immigration raids across southern California, leaving many of the region's millions of Latino residents terrified of sudden arrest. In response to protests over the immigration raids, Donald Trump sent in the national guard and US marines, and he and his officials have engaged in repeated attacks on the leadership of California governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass."
Hosting the summer Olympics increasingly carries costs of $10bn and up, resident displacement, environmental damage, and the risk of major debt and unused stadiums. Los Angeles promised a different, lower-impact approach for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics while aiming for world-class events. Recent 2025 crises have complicated those plans. A steep drop in Hollywood production weakened the regional economy. Catastrophic wildfires in January destroyed 16,000 homes and other buildings and killed 31 people. Aggressive federal immigration raids in June terrified many Latino residents. Political tensions and military deployments have increased local unease and public questioning of large Olympic investments.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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