It’s a threat of Olympic proportions.
The deadly Los Angeles wildfires have already scorched tens of thousands of acres, and are showing no signs of waning.
After destroying neighborhoods and waterfront mansions, the intensifying infernos now pose a very real threat to the city’s third Summer Olympics in 2028 — as flames continue to inch ever closer to many venues, including the historic Riviera Golf Club and the UCLA campus.
The 100-year-old Riviera Golf Club, where the world’s best golfers will compete for gold, is only five miles from the Palisades Fire and within a designated evacuation zone.
SoFi Stadium is set to host all of the swimming events, while all of the basketball action will go down in the Intuit Dome, also 19 miles away in Inglewood.
The Olympic village, where the athletes will reside, is planned for the grounds of the UCLA campus.
The Crypto.com Arena, the site for all of the gymnastics events, is 20 miles from the fires. Carson Stadium will host rugby and cycling. Diving events will unfold at John C. Argue Swimming Stadium, which is 20 miles from the fires.
Tom Stallings, an Olympics historian and Rice University professor, told The Post that “if anything were to happen” to any of the venues, “if it isn’t feasible to fix it in the next three years,” they’ll likely “move [the events] to other areas or stadiums or courses in close proximity.”
He expects Olympics organizers “will deal with anything [that might happen] — God forbid — way in advance” of the opening ceremonies, set for July 14, 2028.
“The International Olympic Committee is probably keeping a close eye on Los Angeles,” Stallings said.
Sports historian and Penn State professor Mark Dyerson said if impacted by the fires, the LA games — which are set to conclude July 30, 2028 — could be moved to a different city or a different country.
“They could go back to Paris,” where facilities built for the 2024 games remain intact, Dyerson said. “It would be unfortunate, but I’m sure they have some kind of committee — the IOC is a huge bureaucracy — that allegedly looks at contingencies.”
Ironically, the 1924 Paris games were moved to Los Angeles after severe flooding ravaged the city the year before, Dyerson said.
Representatives from the International Olympic Committee, LA28, UCLA, Team USA, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office and city hall did not respond to requests for comment.
