2028 Olympics leader promises L.A. rebuild, Kendrick Lamar - ESPN

COSTA NAVARINO, Greece — After deadly fires devastated much of Los Angeles, organizers of the 2028 Games told the International Olympic Committee on Thursday how the city will rebuild with their help.

Count on Kendrick Lamar, too, to be part of «the greatest show on earth» in three years.

«The rebirth, the rebuild, maybe reimagining L.A. 2.0 — and the Olympics as a catalyst for all those things — we think is really part of our ethos,» organizing committee chairman Casey Wasserman told The Associated Press.

«You can't have a natural disaster at that scale in a city as big and as important as Los Angeles and not have it be part of your core philosophy going forward,» he added before giving sports leaders an update at the IOC's annual meeting.

Lamar would be a globally popular part of the opening ceremony on July 14, 2028, after his stunning halftime show at the Super Bowl last month.

«Fortunately in my day job I represent Kendrick Lamar,» said Wasserman, who heads an international talent and promotions agency. «He is truly an L.A. icon, so I think it would be a pretty fair bet that Kendrick will be involved in the Olympics in Los Angeles in some way.»

The wildfires in January have reset the daily life and global perception of the city, though Olympic venues and operational plans escaped serious damage.

«From purely an Olympics perspective, we got very lucky. That's not the most important thing,» Wasserman told the AP on Wednesday. «What's important is helping people get back into their homes, get back settled, get back with their lives.»

Another expected challenge for Los Angeles organizers is ensuring athletes, officials and fans from every Olympic team feel welcome and safe going to the United States in what shapes to be