Others believe construction will lead to the displacement of the homeless<\/a> or that the Games won\u2019t make money<\/a>.<\/p>\n Newsletter <\/p>\n You’re reading the Essential California newsletter<\/p>\n Our reporters guide you through the most important news, features and recommendations of the day.<\/p>\n Enter email address <\/p>\n Sign Me Up <\/p>\n You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. <\/p>\n One syndicated columnist pleaded with L.A. not to work with \u201ca lawless U.S. regime,\u201d while sportswriter and author Jeff Pearlman<\/a> wondered if Latin American athletes would feel safe in the U.S. due to the Trump administration\u2019s current deportations.<\/p>\n There are pushes from some, but how possible is it that the Games will be canceled?<\/p>\n My colleague Thuc Nhi Nugyen<\/a> wrote about that issue<\/a> and dispelled the notion any cancellation was likely.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s dive into her work.<\/p>\n Why is backing out difficult? We\u2019re three years away<\/p>\n Host cities and host country national organizing committees (in this country, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee) sign a host city contract<\/a> (HCC) after the International Olympic Committee officially awards the Games.<\/p>\n The contract for the 2028 Games, signed by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti and then-City Council President Herb Wesson in September 2017, includes procedures for termination from the IOC\u2019s perspective but doesn\u2019t leave the same option for the host city or the national organizing committee.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile one cannot foreclose all potential theories, it is hard to imagine a scenario where Los Angeles could terminate the HCC without facing substantial legal issues,\u201d Nathan O\u2019Malley, an international arbitration lawyer and a partner at Musick, Peeler & Garrett, wrote in an email. \u201cEspecially if the reason for ending the contract was a political disagreement between the federal, state and local branches of government.\u201d<\/p>\n When even COVID-19 didn\u2019t stop the Games<\/p>\n After an initial one-year delay of the Tokyo Games, medical professionals pleaded to cancel amid rising COVID-19 cases.<\/p>\n Public sentiment soured drastically, with protests in the streets. A March 2021 poll by Asahi Shimbun, one of the most prominent newspapers in Japan, found 83% of voters<\/a> believed that the Olympics set to take place that summer should be postponed or canceled.<\/p>\n But, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said, only \u201cthe IOC has the authority to decide.\u201d<\/p>\n Breaching the contract could have put Tokyo in danger of being sued by the IOC for $4-5 billion, economist Andrew Zimbalist told Yahoo Sports in 2021<\/a>. The Nomura Research Institute<\/a> estimated the total cost of cancellation to be 1.8 trillion yen \u2014 about $12.3 billion.<\/p>\n What influence will President Trump have?<\/p>\n LA28 chairman Casey Wasserman has emphasized that he has assurances from the federal government that the United States will be open<\/a>, despite recent travel bans and tighter scrutiny of international travelers arriving in the U.S.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s June proclamation<\/a> includes exemptions for athletes, team personnel or immediate relatives entering the country for the FIFA World Cup, the Olympics or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State.<\/p>\n But in the two months since the ban, visas have been denied for athletes, including the Cuban women\u2019s volleyball team<\/a> traveling for a tournament in Puerto Rico, a baseball team from Venezuela<\/a> that qualified to play in the Senior Baseball World Series and Senegal\u2019s women\u2019s basketball team<\/a> preparing for a training camp.<\/p>\n One final outlook<\/p>\n If any city should be ready to host the biggest Olympics in history, it should be L.A. Not only because of the existing venues, but because of the unprecedented 11-year planning time after the IOC awarded the Games in 2017.<\/p>\n Now with less than three years remaining, relocating to a city that would likely have to build new venues would be unrealistic for the IOC.<\/p>\n \u201cFor Los Angeles, a city whose identity is partly predicated on staging the Olympics twice, and now having a third time,\u201d said Mark Dyreson, a sports historian at Penn State University, \u201cI think it would be really, really difficult for L.A. to give up the Olympics.\u201d<\/p>\n For more, check out the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n The week\u2019s biggest stories (Illustrations by Lindsey Made This; photograph by Jamie-Lee B.)<\/p>\n Going outStaying inL.A. Affairs<\/p>\n Get wrapped up in tantalizing stories about dating, relationships and marriage.<\/p>\n Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team<\/p>\n Jim Rainey, staff writer How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>. Check our top stories<\/a>, topics<\/a> and the latest articles<\/a> on latimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a> High-profile murders and deathsHealth issues and heatTrump and his impact on California politicsLos Angeles-area firesMore big storiesThis week\u2019s must-readsMore great readsFor your weekend
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