Olympic, Paralympic flags displayed at LA City Hall ahead of 2028 Games
LOS ANGELES - Mayor Karen Bass Thursday celebrated the installation of Olympic and Paralympic flags at City Hall — marking a historic moment as Los Angeles will host the event for a third time in 2028 — and highlighted efforts to make it a "Games for All."
Council President Paul Krekorian, LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman, Olympic and Paralympic athletes and community leaders joined Bass to celebrate the return of the Olympic flag, and the arrival of the Paralympic flag for the first time in the city's history. In addition, the city unveiled an exhibition showcasing photographs and other memorabilia from the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Residents and visitors are encouraged to come see the flags and exhibit starting Friday.
"In just a few years, we will host the world's greatest athletes. For them, after years and even decades of dedication, the 2028 Games are an opportunity to prove themselves on the world's greatest field of play," Bass said.
"For Angelenos, the 2028 Games means an opportunity to bring urgency behind many important infrastructure projects — a greener Los Angeles, a Los Angeles that is easier to get around, a Los Angeles where all residents are connected to one another," she added.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Karen Bass, Mayor of Los Angeles, and LA28 Chairman Casey Wasserman pose for a photo with the Olympic and Paralympic flags at the LA28 Event at Los Angeles City Hall on September 12, 2024 in Los Angeles, Califo
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The games will present an opportunity to create jobs, support businesses and uplift local communities, according to Bass.
"Excellence, respect, and friendship — these are the values of the Olympics, and this is what we will do for the world from Los Angeles in 2028," Bass said.
Bass, who traveled to Paris for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, noted she hopes the city can emulate similar results, in particular efforts to connect people outside of stadiums and other venues with Olympic-related experiences.
Krekorian echoed Bass' excitement over Paris' hosting of the games, noting that the "bar has been set pretty high." Yet, he remained steadfast in the city's commitment to an even more successful experience in just four years. City Council members Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Traci Park, Katy Yaroslavsky, Imelda Padilla, Curren Price, Monica Rodriguez, John Lee and Kevin de León also joined the festivities.
"I am absolutely confident that the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be an enormous success for the Olympic movement, but also for the people of Los Angeles," Krekorian said.
The city has already benefited from $160 million from the 2028 Olympics to create youth programming.
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With 1,401 days until the opening ceremonies in L.A., Wasserman said "The 2028 Games are now at our doorstep."
"There is no platform like the games to drive transformative change in our host city, and now that the world's eyes are on L.A., we're ready to deliver games that will celebrate the beauty of Los Angeles, positively impact all areas and all communities in Los Angeles, create a sense of shared pride in our city and our country, and leave the Olympic and Paralympic Games better than we found it," Wasserman said.
Cheryl Miller, a Basketball Hall of Fame member who led the U.S. to its first gold medal in women's basketball in the 1984 Olympics and USC to the 1982-83 and 1983-84 NCAA championships, called it a privilege and honor to be an Olympian at a time when the games were in "our backyard," where her parents could watch and experience her win.
"With no disrespect to the French, Angelenos know how to celebrate," Miller said.
As part of the ceremony, a handful of speakers discussed the importance of the Paralympics coming to the city. Arelle Middleton, a para track-and-field athlete who secured a silver medal in shot put this summer, was one of them.
The 16-year-old and Rancho Cucamonga native said she began training when she was 10. Middleton practiced all sports in Los Angeles, and began her track career in L.A. at the Angel City Games in UCLA.
"Sports has changed my life and has made me more confident. I hope to inspire young disabled and able-bodied girls alike," Middleton said. "I hope with the games in L.A., that Paralympics will be able to grow tremendously, and many young people with disabilities will see opportunities for themselves and play sports."
"Possibilities are endless no matter what obstacles you have. If I can do that, you can do it," she added.
It is a tradition for host cities of the games to display the official Olympic flag at their main municipal building. The previous Summer Olympic host cities — Paris and Tokyo — did so as well. L.A. will place the flags on the third floor of City Hall, outside of the mayor's office.
In August, Bass and the City Council approved a plan to move decades-old artifacts to the Convention Center and spend $500,000 on restoration and conservation efforts.
Scott Suh, former president of the Los Angeles Wilshire Center Koreatown Neighborhood Council, and spokesman for the Turtle Ship and Mikoshi Shrine Restoration Demand Committee, previously said the city's decision to move the artifacts outraged some members of the Korean and Japanese communities. He further described it as "terribly disrespectful."
The displays were gifts from Los Angeles' sister cities of Nagoya, Japan in 1959 and Busan, South Korea in 1982. A replica of a Korean turtle ship, from Busan, and a portable shrine called a Mikoshi, from Nagoya, are being moved to the L.A. Convention Center.
Jieun Kim, Bass' deputy director of Korean language communications, said Los Angeles has the "international distinction" of being the next host city of the Olympic Games.
Bass' office will convene meetings with members of the Korean American, Japanese American and Mexican American communities to share updates on conservation and restoration efforts, as well as to hear ideas about how the city can further celebrate and highlight these artifacts.
According to the Department of Cultural Affairs, the turtle ship last received conservation nearly 20 years ago. The department also reported that this will be the first conservation and restoration effort for the Mikoshi Float, the Kasuisha Float and the Karakuri Wall Clock since they were given as gifts to the city.
Some of that funding also addressed the marble flooring and walls behind the displays, which showed cracking and signs of wear.