The wildfires currently ravaging Los Angeles and surrounds have raised doubts about the Californian city’s ability to host the Olympic Games in 2028.
The cost of rebuilding and insurance are casting a cloud over preparations, says Dr Tom Heenan, who lectures in sport, global and Australian studies at the Monash Intercultural Lab in Australia.
“LA 2028 will be the Olympic version of the Hunger Games," Heenan said in a media statement.
“Even without the wildfires, the Games will cost Angelenos dearly, especially the poor and homeless, and prove to be another IOC-orchestrated budgetary blowout, if not a Montreal-type black hole.
“The additional infrastructure requirements will strain an already stretched public purse and shift labour from the much needed rebuild in the hills.
“For a city built on property speculation, 2028 could be a repeat of the 1932 Games, which was a real estate agent’s dream.
“The winners will be property developers and the head of LA's organising committee, Casey Wasserman, and his sport-entertainment empire.
“The losers may well be LA residents who will bear the expense of the Olympics and a costly yet questionable rebuild in fire-prone hills.”
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