LA wildfires embolden critics, but relocation unlikely

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK : Wildfires that devastated neighbourhoods across Los Angeles have provided fresh motivation for critics of the 2028 Games and complicated the effort to host the world's biggest sporting event, but experts say a relocation would be unlikely.

The fires that officials said could rank as the most devastating natural disaster in U.S. history continue to rage after several days with desert winds and a parched landscape presenting extremely hazardous conditions.

Governor Gavin Newsom has already moved to assure Angelenos will be ready to host the Games, a massive undertaking even under the best circumstances, and said on Sunday's "Meet the Press" that the Games will provide a chance for the "community to shine."

LA28 President and Chairperson Casey Wasserman pointed to Los Angeles' "resilience and determination."

"The strength of our communities and our unity in tough times make this city extraordinary, and when Los Angeles welcomes the world in 2028, our spirit will shine brighter than ever before," Wasserman said in a statement.

But Eric Sheehan, a key figure in NOlympics LA, a coalition of community groups that have long opposed the 2028 Games, said that the fire and the local response show a city that is ill-equipped to host the quadrennial sport spectacle.

"These fires cement the message that we've been spreading since before we got the bid in 2017, which is that Los Angeles should not host this Games because it cannot take care of its residents and host the largest - as LA28 is calling it - the largest sporting event in American history at the same time," Sheehan told Reuters.

The fires have so far spared key Olympic venues, with the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, which is expected to host men's and women's