★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★
★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★
≡ 2028 GAMES TRANSIT ≡
“I am writing you with deep concern over law-abiding citizens in the Los Angeles metropolitan area being unable to access federally funded transit services because of your failure to stop the violent riots in your city.
“Closing stations, cancelling bus routes, and redirecting rail lines is a direct result of your inability or unwillingness to control the protests and violent mobs that paralyzed Los Angeles.”
That’s the opening of a harsh letter to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, published last Thursday in a news release where Duffy added:
● “Secretary Duffy also noted the failed response to the unrest raises serious questions about the city’s ability to keep citizens and tourists safe during the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympics.”
● Said Duffy: “[California Governor] Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass failed to show up for Angelenos as their city was terrorized by anti-ICE riots. If President Donald Trump hadn’t stepped in and sent the National Guard and Marines in, LA would still be on fire.”
Duffy further asked for a report from Bass within 30 days that, among other things:
“Summarizes what resources will be deployed to ensure fans can get to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics games safely and on time.”
Duffy’s letter to Bass also included this ominous paragraph:
“The weak leadership you have shown in these critical times does not inspire confidence in your ability to represent one of the Nation’s largest cities as it hosts one of the world’s biggest events, the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the LA 2028 Summer Olympics (collectively, the LA games), where millions from around the globe are expected to visit Los Angeles. Based on your slow action to quell the riots, the Department of Transportation is deeply concerned about your ability to keep the commuting public safe and to handle the transportation logistics needed for the LA
games.”
This comes just eight days after Duffy sent a much happier letter to Janice Hahn, the Chair of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which promised nothing but expressed a desire to help, including “We are all committed to making the Games a resounding success for the United States.”
Duffy also sent a letter to the Metro chief executive, Stephanie Wiggins, which did not mention the 2028 Games, but emphasized safety and security:
“People traveling on the LACMTA system to reach their jobs, education, health care, and other critical services need to feel secure and travel in a safe environment free of crime; and workers who operate the system need to be sure of a safe operating environment to provide transportation service. The transit riders and workers of Los Angeles deserve nothing less.”
In March, Duffy sent similar letters to the transit agencies in New York and Washington, D.C.
¶
Observed: So, what happens now?
The letters to Bass and Wiggins about the Los Angeles situation during the protests and violence earlier in June attendant to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions in the area may simply be an expansion of the pressure applied to New York and Washington in March. The Trump Administration has shown no hesitancy to criticize the leadership of Democrat-led large cities.
But there could be something else getting started.
In 2000 and 2001, the U.S. General Accounting Office created reports on Federal spending on U.S.-hosted Olympic Games, which found $17 million (in 1999 dollars) were used to support spectator transit for the Atlanta 1996 Games, and $58.5 million (not including capital costs) for spectator transit for the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Games.
Conversely, L.A. Metro has asked for $3.2 billion in Federal funds for the 2028 Games, including an “order-of-magnitude” request for $2.015 billion for the Games Enhanced Transportation Network (GETS). Despite the request, no money was allocated to Metro for the Games in the Fiscal Year 2025 Federal budget and none is proposed for the Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
Could it be that the U.S. Department of Transportation sees itself as the answer to these issues for 2028? The GAO report noted that about 1,000 military service personnel were used as drivers in Atlanta, and the Federal government has a lot of buses.
Beyond being unhappy with the approach to the protests and riots earlier in the month, Duffy’s letter does not say what he plans to do for the 2028 Games. But the request for a report lays the groundwork for potentially declaring the local plan for 2028 Games transit as unworkable and requiring the Federal government to take over.
The Trump Administration is already involved in the Games, as the U.S. Secret Service is already the lead agency on security since the Olympic and Paralympic Games was declared a National Special Security Event (NSSE) – as is the annual NFL Super Bowl – in June 2024. And Trump called out the National Guard and the Marines to secure Federal sites in Los Angeles during the recent protests.
It may be getting even more involved.
¶
★ Receive our exclusive, weekday TSX Recap by e-mail by clicking here.
★ Sign up a friend to receive the TSX Recap by clicking here.
★ Please consider a donation here to keep this site going.
For our updated, 694-event International Sports Calendar for 2025 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!
