Olympics
Fears for LA 28 Olympics over California wildfires!
The devastating California wildfires are both destroying neighbourhoods and raising alarm bells for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics Organising Committee.
With the Riviera Country Club and Sepulveda Basin under threat, the challenges of ensuring the Games’ safety are becoming increasingly apparent.
Los Angeles, one of the United States’ most iconic cultural and sporting hubs, is enduring what can only be described as a living nightmare.
Since Tuesday, 7 January, a massive wildfire has ravaged the region, destroying homes, landmarks, and now, alarmingly, some of the facilities planned for the 2028 Olympic Games.
Worse still, the death toll from California’s fires has risen to 11, with over 35,000 hectares reduced to ash.
With six active firefronts, the destruction has spread citywide. Local authorities report mass evacuations, with critical structures under threat. Yet, amid the immediate chaos, there lies a longer-term concern—one that mobilised multiple agencies: the fate of LA 2028.
The Games, intended to leave a lasting legacy, are now facing a very literal trial by fire
Among the most affected areas is the prestigious Riviera Country Club, slated to host the Olympic golf tournament.
Initially, outside the evacuation zones, the rapid spread of the Palisades fire, driven by winds reaching 100 mph (160 km/h), placed the club squarely within the danger zone.
Flames now encircle the area, which also borders natural landmarks like Topanga State Park, itself under threat.
Another critical site is the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area, set to host archery, BMX, and skateboarding events.
While local firefighters reported no structural damage or injuries so far, the situation remains volatile, with conditions that could change in an instant.
The risk is not confined to these venues. The historic Rose Bowl Stadium, scheduled to host football matches during the Games, is also within an evacuation protocol zone in Pasadena.
Beyond the Olympic venues, the environmental crisis deeply impacted athletes and professional teams across various leagues.
Many affected areas are home to current and former athletes, including ex-Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr., who lost his house and 10 Olympic medals in the Palisades fire.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard returned to Los Angeles to support his family following their evacuation.
Meanwhile, Warriors coach Steve Kerr lost his childhood home, though his mother was rescued in time.
Both the NBA and NFL issued statements of solidarity with those affected.
Coaches like Lakers’ JJ Redick have seen their homes consumed by flames, highlighting that the sport, despite its global prominence, is not immune to the tragedies that devastate its surrounding communities.
For its part, the NFL decided to relocate the ‘wild card’ game between the Vikings and the Rams from Inglewood to Glendale, Arizona, due to the uncontrolled flames.
The Rams, who had to halt their training sessions after new flare-ups in West Hills, were unable to resume practice. This isn’t the first time wildfires disrupted the league.
Back in 2003, the Chargers were also forced to move a game to Arizona under similar circumstances.
“The entire NBA and NBPA family extends its thoughts and support to the Los Angeles community during these challenging times.
“We are grateful for the thousands of local firefighters and first responders who have shown incredible bravery.
“Our prayers remain with those affected by the unimaginable devastation caused by the fires,” expressed on Thursday by the NBA regarding support for the victims.
The Los Angeles 2028 Organising Committee also addressed the situation on social media, expressing gratitude to firefighters, volunteers, and other groups committed to recovery efforts.
They’ve shared resources to assist those in need, including the American Red Cross Los Angeles, the LAFD Foundation, the California Firefighters Foundation, and Airbnb’s Emergency Housing Assistance for those displaced by the fires.
Nevertheless, the disaster raises deeper questions. With just over three years until the Olympic torch lights up the city, doubts linger.
Can LA 2028 ensure the safety of its venues in a region increasingly vulnerable to wildfires? How will this catastrophe influence the event’s planning and global perception?
As the flames continue to consume hectares across Los Angeles, the road to the 2028 Olympic Games faces an unprecedented challenge.
But if there’s one thing this city is known for, it’s its ability to rise from the ashes—a spirit the organisers hope to channel into an event destined to be unforgettable.
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Roy Jones Jr has been handed the Olympic gold medal he was controversially denied in 1988 in an extraordinary act of sportsmanship by the South Korean fighter who beat him.
Hall of Fame boxer Jones shared a video on Wednesday from two years ago that showed Park Si-hun visiting the American’s ranch in Pensacola, Florida to present him with the light middleweight gold medal.
“I had the gold medal, but I want to give it back to you. It belongs to you,” Park said in the video through his son, who translated.
Jones, who was overcome with emotion by the gesture, covered his face with his hand before saying: “Wow, that is crazy.”
Their match at the Seoul Olympics remains one of boxing’s most contentious moments as Jones appeared to dominate the fight but lost to Park by a 3-2 decision that drew instant criticism and sparked enduring controversy.
Despite losing the gold medal match, Jones was selected as the Val Barker Trophy winner as the best boxer of the 1988 Olympics.
Jones went on to become a four-division world champion and is regarded as one of the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighters of all time.
“In 1988, I was robbed of the gold medal in what became one of the biggest controversies in boxing history,” Jones wrote in his Instagram post.
“By the grace of God, a couple of years ago, the man who won that medal made the trip from South Korea to my home to return it to me, feeling it was rightfully mine.
“I hope you enjoy this moment as much as I did.”
-Reuters
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U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Tuesday creating a White House Olympics task force to handle security and other issues related to the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, an administration official told Reuters.
The task force, made up of members from Trump’s cabinet and government agencies, will coordinate federal, state and local government work on transportation, the official said.
It also will “streamline visa processing and credentialing for foreign athletes, coaches, officials, and media,” the official said in an email.
The United States will host the Olympics in Los Angeles in three years. Trump, a Republican who lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden, has expressed pleasure that his second term will coincide with the Olympics and the World Cup.
“During his first term, President Trump was instrumental in securing America’s bid to host the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The president considers it a great honor to oversee this global sporting spectacle in his second term,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Monday.
Last month organizers of the Los Angeles games released the first look at the Olympic competition schedule . The city had also hosted the Olympics in 1932 and 1984.
“The creation of this task force marks an important step forward in our planning efforts and reflects our shared commitment to delivering not just the biggest, but the greatest Games the world has ever seen in the summer of 2028,” Casey Wasserman, the chair and president of LA28, said in a statement.
–Reuters
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By DAVID LEE
Home is many places for swimmer Adaku Nwandu, who was born in China, lives in Singapore and wears the Nigeria flag on her swimsuit.
And it is at her current home in Singapore that the 17-year-old is making her debut at the World Aquatics Championships (WCH).
In the second heat of the 100m freestyle at the WCH Arena, the teenager, who has a Nigerian father and Chinese mother, led at the turn before finishing third in 1min 0.89sec – she eventually placed 59th out of 82 athletes overall.
After her race, Adaku shared with The Straits Times that she was born and raised in Shanghai, and started swimming when she was eight. Interestingly, it was ice cream that kept her in the sport.
Adaku, who still has the 50m freestyle heats on Aug 2, said: “At a school competition, I didn’t do so well and I asked my dad if we could make a deal. He said if I do better, he would buy me ice cream once every week, and that’s a promise we have kept with each other. And that’s what brought me here.”
In 2023, the family moved to Singapore due to her mother’s work posting. With her fluent Mandarin and love for Asian and spicy food, it did not take long for her to pick up Singlish and enjoy local delights like chicken rice and chilli crab.
She said: “We came here mainly because of my mother’s work, and also because the swimming scene back where I lived in China was a little bit toxic, so she also thought Singapore would be a new experience and better for my swimming.”
By then, she had already committed to representing Nigeria after its aquatics association contacted her after the National Sports Festival in Asaba, where the then 16-year-old was part of the national record-breaking women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team.
But Singapore is where she has been honing her swimming skills, as she has set her 50m and 100m freestyle long- and short-course Nigeria national records at meets here.
Noting her improvements, Singapore swimming coach and performance director Gary Tan said: “Adaku has been participating in our system for a while, and we hope it helps her develop as a swimmer and achieve what she wants while training in Singapore with her school (German European School Singapore).”
For someone who is inspired by Olympic champions David Popovici, Caeleb Dressel and Adam Peaty for “their dedication and the way they are able to take breaks for themselves to improve and get back to the water”, qualifying for Paris 2024 on ranking points was a dream come true.
Her Olympic debut was also unforgettable as her swimsuit ripped 20 minutes before her 50m freestyle heat, but she managed to finish second in her heat and 33rd out of 78th overall in 26.62 seconds, just 0.03 of a second off her personal best.
Back in Singapore, Adaku, who is in the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme at her school, realised that she needed more of such resilience to reach her goals.
The swimmer, who also plays for the school’s volleyball team, said: “I had a lot of improvement the first year I came to Singapore. But this past year has been especially hard for me with family problems and also school. The workload in my first year of IB made it hard to balance training and school.
“Especially in the next year, I want to focus more on swimming and try to get some new personal bests because this year I just plateaued. I’m looking forward to training harder and preparing for my next competition and hopefully qualify for the next Olympics.”
-Strait Times, Singapore
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