THE SHOW MUST GO ON?

It’s been over 15 days since the Palisades and Eaton fires began, devastating two Southern California communities. According to live updates from the Los Angeles Times, neither fire is fully contained. Over 10,000 structures have been destroyed between the two areas.

Despite the ongoing devastation, organizers of the LA 2028 Games remain committed to forging ahead.

“We have had conversations, and there is no noise or discussion right now that it will have any impact on LA 2028,” Scott Young, a group senior vice president of content, production, and business operations for WBD Sports Europe, said at an IOC event recently.

“The tragedy of these fires in Los Angeles is the focus right now and nobody is looking too far down the road,” he added.

Some have questioned whether the city has the right priorities, considering the estimated $275 billion cost to recover from the fires. Especially as the 2028 Games are now being used as a symbol of the city, and by extension, the United States, being reborn.

The LA28 Games come with an estimated $6.9 billion price tag for upgraded transportation, revamped facilities and improvements to the city's infrastructure, CBS News reported. Although none of the proposed venues have been damaged in the fires, there are still concerns.

"The reality is what this is going to do is put a big strain on availability of resources from the city of LA, surrounding cities and the state of California," Dr. Matthew Brown, a University of Utah political science professor said.

"What happens then is those resources have to come from somewhere and that means other things are not going to have resources,” he added.

While the recent fires might not cripple the City of Los Angeles and their Olympic bid, there is no guarantee these will be the last fires before the Summer Games.

To that end, if Los Angeles becomes financially strained due to current or future fires, can the city still host the 2028 Olympics?

“As long as the Olympic [organizing] committee runs their Games in a cost-neutral or profitable way, [the fires] should not be a barrier to holding the Olympic Games,” former L.A. city and county government worker Zev Yaroslasky told Yahoo! Sports.

NEW YORK ‘PLAN B’ FOR OLYMPICS SLIDING EVENTS

The upcoming Winter Olympics continue to experience setbacks to the point Lake Placid, New York, has been officially named as the ‘Plan B’ location for all sliding events - Bobsled, Luge, and Skeleton.

Milano-Cortina is behind schedule on some building projects, including the downhill sliding and ice hockey venues.

“We're very lucky that the climate here in Lake Placid is conducive and is expected to be conducive for the next 25 years, but 25 years goes by quickly," ORDA board chair Joe Martens said.

Although Lake Placid is expected to remain a viable location for winter sporting events throughout the next few decades, organizers are still taking measures to reduce their environmental impact.

“We have solar installations that service our ski areas and we have electric Zambonis," Martens said. "We are constantly trying to cut down on the emissions so that we're not contributing to the problem of climate change, but it is a huge concern for us and for the Olympic movement."

OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS

• Mikaela Shiffrin is back!

• HOW TO WATCH the U.S. Figure Skating Championships

• NBC Sports announces broadcast schedule for curling trials

• Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr. to receive replacement medals after losing originals in L.A. fires

If you want to relive #Paris2024 or #Beijing2022, check Olympics.com for exclusive interviews, original features, and fun flashbacks!