The IOC today advised Olympic sports bodies to end a three-year program vetting Russians for neutral status ahead of qualifying events for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The backstory: The move was expected since the International Olympic Committee advised two months ago that athletes from Belarus, Russia's military ally in the full military invasion of Ukraine, should be allowed again to compete with their full national identity.
What it means: The IOC eased entry requirements to its own events for Russian athletes and teams while provisionally lifting its suspension since October 2023 of the Russian Olympic Committee.The terms of that suspension — imposed when the Russian Olympic body incorporated regional sports councils from occupied regions of Ukraine — no longer applied, the IOC said.
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The IOC advised Olympic sports bodies on Tuesday to end a three-year program vetting Russians for neutral status ahead of qualifying events for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The move was expected since the International Olympic Committee advised two months ago that athletes from Belarus, Russia's military ally in the full military invasion of Ukraine, should be allowed again to compete with their full national identity.
"The IOC stands in solidarity with the Olympic community of Ukraine, which the Olympic movement has supported since the beginning of the war, and will continue to do so," the Olympic body said in a statement after a meeting of its executive board.
The IOC eased entry requirements to its own events for Russian athletes and teams while provisionally lifting its suspension since October 2023 of the Russian Olympic Committee.
The terms of that suspension — imposed when the Russian Olympic body incorporated regional sports councils from occupied regions of Ukraine — no longer applied, the IOC said.
Just 32 athletes from Russia and Belarus competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics as approved neutrals, and combined to win five medals. The Russian team had more than 300 athletes at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and won 71 medals.
The IOC did not yet approve letting Russian athletes and teams compete with their flag and anthem. That decision will come "at an appropriate time," it said.
The next Olympic competition is the 2026 Youth Summer Games in Dakar, Senegal opening Oct. 31.
The IOC said to "address the lack of confidence in the global sporting community relating to the return of Russian athletes to international competition," those athletes must give multiple doping controls and be part of a recognized testing program.
The IOC said it will continue to "not organize IOC events in Russia or invite Russian government or state officials to its events."
Mariana Dale
explores and explains the forces that shape how and what kids learn from kindergarten to high school.
Published July 7, 2026 1:47 PM
An estimated 13,000 families with children in Los Angeles Unified schools live near the site of the Boyle Heights warehouse fire.
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Mario Tama
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Getty Images
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Topline:
Boyle Heights families of school age children affected by the warehouse fire have until Wednesday afternoon to apply for $250 cash assistance payments.
Why it matters: An estimated 13,000 Los Angeles Unified families live near the site of the Boyle Heights warehouse fire. Sadie Jefferson, executive director of the LAUSD Education Foundation, said families are reporting asthma flare-ups, missed work and a lack of access to their homes. The nonprofit is independent of the school district and frequently supports LAUSD students and programs. “ There's tremendous stress and anxiety about how to pay for rent, food [and] childcare,” Jefferson said.
How it works: Families can apply in-person from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8, at:
The application requires families to provide a student’s ID. The money comes from the Foundation’s “compassion fund,” a mixture of donations from individuals and the California Community Foundation. Families can also connect with district counselors and other resources at those same schools.
Boyle Heights families of school age children impacted by the warehouse fire have until Wednesday afternoon to apply for $250 cash assistance payments.
The money comes from the LAUSD Education Foundation’s “compassion fund,” a mixture of donations from individuals and the California Community Foundation.
“ There's tremendous stress and anxiety about how to pay for rent, food [and] childcare,” said Sadie Jefferson, the executive director of the independent nonprofit that frequently supports LAUSD students and programs.
Jefferson said families are reporting asthma flare-ups, missed work and a lack of access to their homes.
The application requires families to provide a student’s ID.
Families can also connect with district counselors and other resources at those same schools.
Jefferson said the foundation will support more families if more donations to the compassion fund come in.
Need more help?
LAUSD families can call the district’s family hotline at (213) 443-1300.
The foundation started the compassion fund in 2025 to support families in the wake of widespread immigration enforcement actions throughout Southern California.
Jefferson said the Foundation has distributed nearly $900,000 in cash gift-cards from the fund and that most families make less than $20,000 a year.
”We wanted to make sure that people had the dignity of choice on how to use the funding in a way that made sense for their families,” Jefferson said.
Claudia Hernandez hands a customer some change in East Los Angeles on June 26, 2026.
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Isaac Ceja
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Boyle Heights Beat
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Topline:
Brick-and-mortar businesses and street vendors affected by the Boyle Heights warehouse fire may be eligible for financial assistance through a new relief fund.
Why now: Inclusive Action, the Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce and the Hustle & Heart Collective have launched the Boyle Heights Fire Relief Fund for Small Businesses, which will provide financial assistance to brick-and-mortar businesses and street vendors directly affected by the fire.
Find more: Resources may also be available through the city’s BusinessSource Center, which offers grants, business advising, financial counseling and other services.
Businesses impacted by the Lineage warehouse fire have access to recovery resources.
Inclusive Action, the Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce and the Hustle & Heart Collective have launched the Boyle Heights Fire Relief Fund for Small Businesses, which will provide financial assistance to brick-and-mortar businesses and street vendors directly affected by the fire.
Resources may also be available through the city’s BusinessSource Center, which offers grants, business advising, financial counseling and other services.
Boyle Heights Fire Relief Fund for Small Businesses
The program aims to award grants to 500 affected small businesses and vendors in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles near the Lineage facility.
Who qualifies?
Brick-and-mortar businesses
Street vendors
Home-based businesses
Grant amounts:
Street vendors: Up to $1,000
Brick-and-mortar businesses: Up to $3,000
Eligible ZIP codes:
90022
90023
90033
90063
Application requirements:
Business website and email address (organizations will assist applicants who do not have these).
Proof of address, utility bill and lease agreement (if applicable).
Street vendors can upload photos of their business if they do not have traditional business documentation.
Number of employees.
Applicants will be asked how they plan to use the grant funds.
Through the city’s established BusinessSource Center, NEW Economics for Women, impacted businesses will have access to recovery resources to help stabilize operations and retain jobs, including:
Small business recovery grants of up to $1,000 for eligible businesses directly impacted by the fire
Industrial air purifiers for severely impacted businesses
One-on-one business advising
Assistance applying for disaster relief programs
Access to capital and micro-loan opportunities
Business continuity and recovery planning
Commercial lease and financial counseling
Marketing and customer recovery strategies
Technical assistance with permitting and regulatory requirements
Referrals to additional local, state, and federal business assistance programs
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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
is an arts and general assignment reporter on LAist's Explore LA team.
Published July 7, 2026 12:55 PM
The World Cup has brought business to bars and restaurants around L.A.
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Irfan Khan
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
Business has been up at one Inglewood bar during SoFi World Cup matches, even more than when A$AP Rocky and Shakira performed in recent years. Economists are paying close attention and will be crunching the numbers later to help inform planning for the Olympics.
Why it matters: The last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup was in 1994, so the last few weeks have been instructive.Some bar and restaurant managers in Inglewood say business is up during the matches, and they’d like to keep some of that momentum after the World Cup ends July 19.
Why now: Friday is the last of eight World Cup matches that will have been held at SoFi stadium.
What's next: The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation will use data from phone carriers, credit card companies and hotels to assess if, and by how much, business has increased. They hope their findings can inform planning for the LA28 Olympics.
For Saizana Evans, manager of the Nile restaurant and bar in Inglewood, proximity to SoFi stadium has been a blessing over the years.
“The A$AP Rocky [concert] recently was good [for business] … Shakira was over here recently, that was great,” he said.
But when asked how those events compared to the influx of customers before and after recent World Cup matches, he was quick to respond.
“Definitely World Cup … definitely better,” he said.
One night particularly memorable so far, he said, was when Bosnia fans showed up for their team’s match against Switzerland.
“They were loud, and it was a joy to watch and to see them, like how they were supporting their team,” he said.
And, he added, “they are drinkers as well.”
While L.A. may not have run out of beer, as Boston reportedly did when Scottish fans visited, the region has been boosted by those who prefer to watch the games on a big screen with a beer in their hands.
“The excitement is palpable, not only in Inglewood, but throughout, and I think where you see it show up the most is in our bars and our restaurants,” said Maria Salinas, president and CEO of the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce.
Crunching the numbers
As SoFi Stadium hosts the last of eight FIFA 2026 World Cup matches on Friday, and the tournament ends in less than two weeks, Southern California businesses will be looking at lessons learned.
“We expect to see an increase in spending when it comes to food and beverage,” said Stephen Cheung, president of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation.
He said his group plans to do a study of the economic effects of the World Cup on Southern California. To do that, his group plans to buy data from phone carriers, credit card companiesand others — without personal information — to see activity in and around bars and restaurants and other locations during matches.
“We should be tracking hotel data, and Airbnb data, so we can see whether there's an increase during the World Cup,” as well, he said.
The goal is to give public and private groups information about what kind of business activities are the most popular during the tournament.
“We want to make sure that we have competitive industries that can bring good investments and good jobs here locally,” Cheung said.
And that’s something businesses will be looking to do as the 2028 L.A. Olympics approaches.
Business owners told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass they felt abandoned by the city as a fire tore through a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights last month, forcing storefronts to close, driving potential customers away and leaving many unsure of what was in the air they were breathing.
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Isaac Ceja
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During a roundtable discussion with about two dozen Boyle Heights business owners and street vendors, Mayor Karen Bass and District 14 Councilmember Ysabel Jurado acknowledged communication failures in the city’s response to the weeklong warehouse fire and pledged to improve communication while exploring ways to help businesses recover.
Lessons learned: Business owners told Bass they felt abandoned by the city, saying response was too slow and relied too heavily on social media to reach the people most affected.“I think it took us too long to get out there, and that’s something that we want to rectify now,” Bass told attendees. “We should have gone out door-to-door on day one.” Jurado also acknowledged the challenges of responding to an emergency of the fire’s scale. “I’m still freshman over there [at City Hall] and figuring out how to deal with an emergency of this caliber,” she said.
Future assistance: Bass pledged to speak to the general manager of the Department of Water and Power to discuss what can be done about utility bills and call the Department of Transportation to “suspend parking enforcement.” She said the boundaries would be determined at a later date. Jurado told Boyle Heights Beat that she will be working with the city’s Community Investment Department to explore waivers or subsidies to give affected businesses some financial relief.
Business owners told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass they felt abandoned by the city as a fire tore through a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights last month, forcing storefronts to close, driving potential customers away and leaving many unsure of what was in the air they were breathing.
“We closed for two days, our workers were asking what to do, and we didn’t know,” said Francisco Valderrama, co-owner of Picaresca Barra de Cafe. “The lack of communication was the most insulting.”
During a roundtable discussion with about two dozen Boyle Heights business owners and street vendors inside Picaresca Tío Pepe on July 2, Bass and District 14 Councilmember Ysabel Jurado acknowledged communication failures in the city’s response to the weeklong warehouse fire and pledged to improve communication while exploring ways to help businesses recover. Boyle Heights Beat was the only media outlet invited to attend the meeting.
“I think it took us too long to get out there, and that’s something that we want to rectify now,” Bass told attendees. “We should have gone out door-to-door on day one.”
Jurado also acknowledged the challenges of responding to an emergency of the fire’s scale.
“I’m still freshman over there [at City Hall] and figuring out how to deal with an emergency of this caliber,” she said.
Businesses say communication fell short
Business owners criticized the city’s response, saying it was too slow and relied too heavily on social media to reach the people most affected.
Business owners told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass they felt abandoned by the city as a fire tore through a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights last month, forcing storefronts to close, driving potential customers away and leaving many unsure of what was in the air they were breathing.
“Maybe a post on Instagram worked for a younger crowd, but for this community it doesn’t,” Valderrama said.
Bass agreed the city should have done more.
“You’re right, we could have done better communication on the grassroots level, that took a while before we did that,” Bass said.
Business owners offer solutions
Several businesses suggested the city should work directly with neighborhood businesses during emergencies.
“Why not come to us?” asked Judy Diaz, owner of El 7 Mares, a Mexican seafood restaurant with locations in Boyle Heights and East L.A. Diaz said businesses could help disseminate information to their customers and the surrounding community during a crisis.
Jeanette Flores, owner of Super Pollos Rostizados, agreed, adding, “There’s only so many people that work for you, but you know, we would willingly do it.”
Flores suggested that the city create a hub for business owners to get live updates on issues that may affect their regular operations.
Bass appreciated their offer and said she would consider relying on local businesses to reach more people. “It’s not that I didn’t come; I wouldn’t have known to come, honestly,” Bass said.
Ana Perez, a local business owner who helps operate Café Café Mobile Coffee and Macheen out of Milpa Grille, said businesses are still struggling with slow foot traffic, higher utility bills from running multiple air purifiers and limited parking due to construction along the Cesar Chavez Avenue corridor.
Business owners told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass they felt abandoned by the city as a fire tore through a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights last month, forcing storefronts to close, driving potential customers away and leaving many unsure of what was in the air they were breathing.
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Issac Ceja
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for Boyle Heights Beat
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She urged the city to provide a credit to cover the cost of businesses’ energy bills and suspend parking enforcement to help them recover.
In response, Bass pledged to speak to the general manager of the Department of Water and Power (DWP) to discuss what can be done about utility bills and call the Department of Transportation to “suspend parking enforcement.” She said the boundaries would be determined at a later date.
“We cannot leave this community with the damn DWP bills, which are high,” Bass said. “We have to figure out what we’re going to do around that. I don’t have an answer for you today, but I guarantee you I will get an answer.”
Jurado told Boyle Heights Beat that she will be working with the city’s Community Investment Department to explore waivers or subsidies to give affected businesses some financial relief.
The Beat has reached out to Bass’ office for more details on her commitments and will update this story when they become available.
Business owners told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass they felt abandoned by the city as a fire tore through a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights last month, forcing storefronts to close, driving potential customers away and leaving many unsure of what was in the air they were breathing.
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Issac Ceja
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for Boyle Heights Beat
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Another setback for local businesses
For many business owners, the fire is the latest in a series of economic setbacks.
“For you in particular, small businesses, we know that it’s kind of like y’all can’t catch a break,” said Jurado. “You barely recovered from COVID. I mean, since the time I was in office last summer, it was the [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] raids and this summer, in this neighborhood, it was the fire.”
Jurado and Bass said the city will continue meeting with businesses as recovery efforts move forward and pledged to hold Lineage and the companies responsible for the impacts of the fire.
