Official Olympic flag arrives in LA ahead of 2028 games
LOS ANGELES - The official Olympic flag has arrived in Los Angeles!
Mayor Karen Bass received the flag during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The flag, Mayor Bass, and several Olympic athletes arrived at LAX around 2 p.m. Monday. They were greeted by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, city leaders, and the LA28 committee.
Los Angeles is set to host the Olympic Games July 14, 2028 and the Paralympic Games August 15, 2028.
"I will tell you it's wonderful to be home. It was amazing to be there last night at the closing ceremony," Bass told reporters at Los Angeles International Airport. "I just have to say, Mayor (Anne) Hidalgo was just wonderful ... (and) very supportive of us, and so that handoff was more than just symbolism, it's a friendship that has developed between our two cities."
"Oh, it was just amazing," she added. "I mean when the plane landed, to see all of these Angelenos here all excited about the games. This is what we need -- the shot in the arm. We have the flag now. It's on us. We got a lot of work to do Los Angeles."
On Sunday, Bass took the flag from International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, who had taken it from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo during a star-heavy extravaganza that featured musical performances from L.A.-area natives Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
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After Bass received the flag, California native H.E.R. performed the U.S. national anthem, then actor Tom Cruise descended onto the field from the top of Stade de France via cables and carried the flag out of the stadium on a motorcycle to begin its journey to Los Angeles.
US' actor Tom Cruise leaves with the Olympic flag in front of Los Angeles' Mayor Karen Bass during the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, in the outskirts of Paris, on August 11, 2024. (Photo by F
Cruise was then shown riding through the streets of Paris and into a transport plane, then a pre-filmed piece showed the "Mission Impossible" star parachuting into the hills above Hollywood and handing the flag to U.S. cyclist Kate Courtney before the camera pulled back to reveal the Hollywood sign adorned with the five Olympic rings.
The nighttime ceremony in Paris then briefly switched over to sunny Venice Beach, where the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre performed some of their hits on a stage next to the LA28 logo.
"It was an immense honor to participate in this moment of history and it was such a privilege to stand with Simone Biles -- someone who has made our entire nation proud," Bass said. "It's my hope that when girls around the world watched the first woman mayor of Paris officially hand off the flag to the first woman mayor of Los Angeles, they were inspired. Together, we sent the message to girls all around the world that they can do anything -- they can run for gold and they can run for office.
The mayor landed in Paris on Thursday, part of a contingent that also includes LA28 President Casey Wasserman, City Councilman President Paul Krekorian, Councilwoman Traci Park and City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo. The U.S. delegation also included first lady Jill Biden, California Sens. Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.
LA previously hosted the games in 1932 and 1984.
City News Service contributed to this report