The countdown to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is underway amid growing social and political unrest, as analyzed in the pages of The Guardian. Since the International Olympic Committee awarded the hosting rights to the Californian city in 2017, the context has changed radically, marked by budget crises, natural disasters, and Donald Trump’s arrival in the White House. The designation of the Games as a National Special Security Event (NSSE) has raised concerns among residents, authorities, and civil rights organizations.
In January, Los Angeles suffered severe fires and, at the same time, the Trump administration intensified the presence of immigration agents (ICE) in the city. IOC President Thomas Bach had praised the “solid foundation” of the Los Angeles bid, but the current reality is far from that initial optimism.
Enhanced security and budget cuts
The LA28 organization depends on a federal injection of $3.2 billion for transportation infrastructure, which is vital for the development of the Games. However, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has threatened to withdraw funds from cities that allow protests against ICE, which has created uncertainty about the viability of key projects, as reported by The Guardian.
The NSSE status, activated by Joe Biden in 2024, grants broad powers to federal agencies such as ICE, the National Guard, and the Marines to intervene in the security of the event. This designation, the earliest in history for any Games, is already affecting daily life in Los Angeles, where nearly 900,000 undocumented people reside.
Social tension and fear of mass raids
Collaboration between local police and federal agencies has intensified, making it difficult to ensure transparency regarding future immigration operations. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell has acknowledged that he cannot warn municipal authorities about federal raids, which has caused alarm among human rights groups, according to ‘The Guardian’.
Protests against ICE raids have been met with National Guard deployments, foreshadowing the type of security that could be experienced during the 2026 Olympics and World Cup. Social organizations fear that these mega-events will serve to justify a tightening of immigration and social control policies.
Travel restrictions and international discrimination
The Trump administration has announced new travel restrictions affecting countries such as Iran, Haiti, and Libya, and has expanded the list to 36 additional nations. In total, 48 countries whose athletes participated in Paris 2024 could see their presence in Los Angeles 2028 limited, according to the British newspaper’s analysis.
The immigration ban has already had direct consequences: the Senegalese women’s basketball team was forced to cancel its training camp in the United States after visas were denied to players and coaching staff. This situation has caused concern within the IOC and among national Olympic committees.
New leadership at the IOC faces the challenge of LA28
The change in the IOC presidency, with Kirsty Coventry becoming the first woman and first African to head the institution, coincides with one of the most complex periods for modern Olympism. Coventry inherits the responsibility of ensuring that the principles of the Olympic Charter, such as non-discrimination and openness, are respected in a context of growing political polarization.
The future of the 2028 Olympic Games will depend largely on the ability to engage in dialogue and defend Olympic values in an environment marked by uncertainty and social tension.
