NHL clash postponed due to Los Angeles wildfires

The Kings play their home games at Crypto.com Arena, a venue the team shares with the National Basketball Association’s (NBA’s) LA Lakers. The Lakers’ game against the Charlotte Hornets is currently scheduled to go ahead tonight, though the league said it was monitoring the situation.

In a statement, the Kings said: “Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community. We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fires and protect our community.

“We appreciate the League’s support in keeping our fans, staff, and players safe.”

There are also concerns around the National Football League (NFL) wildcard postseason game between the LA Rams and Minnesota Vikings scheduled for Monday, which is due to take place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

“The NFL’s priority is the safety of the Los Angeles community. We are grateful for the tireless efforts of the first responders. Our hearts are with Los Angeles and everyone affected by the fires,” said the NFL in a statement.

“We continue to prepare to play the Vikings-Rams game as scheduled Monday night at SoFi Stadium. As with all games, there are contingency plans in the event a change in location is needed. In this instance, the game would be played on Monday night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, if necessary.

“We will continue to closely monitor developments in the area and will remain in contact with public officials, both clubs and the NFLPA [National Football League Players Association].”

The Associated Press reported that the Rams and fellow NFL contenders the LA Chargers were monitoring the situation around air quality, but both conduct their training in areas not under threat from the wildfires.

It has been reported that there are now five wildfires burning in Los Angeles and parts of neighbouring counties – becoming the most destructive wildfire in LA’s history. Three of the blazes were reported to be completely uncontained this morning, with the fires exacerbated by high winds.

Almost 140,000 people have been evacuated and five people are confirmed dead.

A swathe of high school sporting fixtures have also been cancelled, as well as classes, as fires continue to engulf neighbourhoods.

Los Angeles has experienced a negligible amount of rain over the last eight months. Last week it was reported that it had been the driest start to California’s typical ‘rainy season’ on record.

Sport’s ongoing battle against weather

Down in Sydney, Australia this week, the Big Bash League cricket match between the Sydney Thunder and Hobart Hurricanes was called off due to rain.

The clash at ENGIE Stadium was due to be the league’s first carbon neutral match, with the aim of reducing its environmental impact. The club had calculated its carbon footprint through Sydney Showground’s Climate Conscious Event initiative partner Clima, purchasing an equivalent amount of carbon credits.

It was the second match of the Big Bash League season to be called off without a ball being bowled.

Last month Storm Darragh battered the UK and Ireland, forcing multiple sporting events to be cancelled including the high-profile derby game between English Premier League clubs Everton and Liverpool.

The Welsh Football Association announced that all football and rugby matches during the weekend of the storm in early December had been postponed, while football and basketball fixtures were also cancelled across parts of Ireland.

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