Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images / John Hulkenberg/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Olympic Rings in Lake Placid, New York, on Jan. 9, 2023 next to Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Arnold Sports Classic on March 1, 2025.
It’s been 15 years since Arnold Schwarzenegger last served as the Governor of California. However, the Governator still knows the inner machinations of California politics as well as anyone, and it’s for that reason that he has some major concerns about the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Schwarzenegger recently expressed those concerns, which have nothing to do with the city itself, on a recent episode of Front Office Sports Tonight.
Mainly, Schwarzenneger believes that the lack of willingness to improve infrastructure in the city could lead to major shortcoming when it comes time for the games,
Arnold Schwarzenegger Things LA Could Struggle To Host The 2028 Summer Olympics
“I’m just concerned, in general, that we are going to have a tough time [doing] the Olympics here,” Schwarzenegger said. “And of course, the people will be welcome. Los Angeles people love seeing foreigners come here and tourism and all of that stuff and I think that they are going to do everything that they can to make it entertaining and to be hospitable.”
Ultimately, Schwarzenegger said it could all be fixed if politicians were simply willing to build more. But he claims that the issue isn’t unique to Los Angeles or even California as a whole.
“I just think that the only ones that are really an obstacle are the politicians. The reason that I’m saying that is because we are not building enough infrastructure.
“No matter where you look—not just in Los Angeles—in America—wherever you look- they’re talking about how the water system is 100 years old and breaking and exploding and blowing up and causing floods. The sewage system is breaking, and every so often we get the notice that you can’t swim at the beach because the sewage has been dumped out.
“California is like the hottest place in the world. Everyone wants to come to California! We are the number-one state in the union with the biggest GDP. We are the fourth-largest economy in the world, and we are operating like we’re a third-world country.”
And It’s Not Just Olympics!
Schwarzenegger’s critique of American infrastructure wasn’t just about the Olympics. He also pointed out the lack of access to water that firefighters had during the Pacific Palisades fires of January 2025.
“Stupid things like that—it’s infrastructure!” he said. “There’s no reason we ever have a drought; there’s no reason why we don’t have a high-speed rail; there’s no reason why we don’t have a light rail—which we had 60 to 70 years ago in Los Angeles, and then they ripped it out! Why? To sell out to the tire, oil, and car companies. They were in cahoots!
“Now, we have to rebuild all those tracks again. Imagine if we had trams going from Long Beach to the Valley to Los Angeles to Malibu to Santa Monica—everywhere. It was ripped out, so now we have to build the thing again.”
It’s hard to argue with it when you look at things that way. But it’s also hard to imagine anything changing anytime soon.