Olympic flag arrives in LA as city prepares for 2028 Games

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass holds the official Olympic flag at Los Angeles International Airport, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

LOS ANGELES – After receiving the official Olympic flag at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass returned home Tuesday with the symbol as Los Angeles and other Southern California cities prepare to host the events in 2028.

Bass walked off a plane holding the Olympic flag, joined by a contingent of Olympic athletes wearing gold and silver medals, as well as elected officials and LA28 organizers.

“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.”

She also said there is much Los Angeles can learn from the way Paris hosted the games.

Gov. Gavin Newsom emphasized that the games play a vital role in reminding the world that “we’re all in this together. Divorce is not an option.” He expressed his excitement at Los Angeles and the state welcoming the world in 2028 for the games, which will also be held in other SoCal cities such as Long Beach and Inglewood.

“You have a former president who’s taking credit for the games, and you’ve got someone who’s a nominee of the other party who’s from Los Angeles,” Newsom told NBC4 at the airport. “So you’re going to have unbelievable support coming from the federal government. You’ve got strong support from the state and you’ve got a region that does it better than anyone because we’ve done it before.”

He touted how the cities hosting Olympic events in 2028 won’t have to build new venues. He said there is a lot of investment that’s already underway and taking shape.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Team USA athletes, LA28 organizing committee members and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), Delta executives and special guests take a picture with the official Olympic flag at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

“The budget is going to be about all the benefits, and all the enhancements to make this next level,” Newsom said.

LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who was in Paris with other members of the Board of Supervisors, in part representing Metro, spoke on the promise of having a “no-car games.”

Solis noted how the city of Paris’ transportation system was over 100 years old, and there’s cultural mindset of using public transportation.

“We’re going to have to bring in thousands upon thousands of buses from all over the country to help us transport people around, and then likewise, also encourage people to bike, walk, shuttle services and all of that. In fact, even short term aerial transportation,” Solis said.

The supervisor spoke highly of how Paris officials implemented initiatives to reduce congestion on the streets, which included Olympic lanes on freeways and roadways. There was a program that allowed youth to ride public transportation for free during the Olympic Games. Paris officials also implemented an initiative where ticket or event purchases included a fee for transportation, so people were encouraged to ride public transportation to get where they needed to go.

Solis highlighted that Paris’ system is comparatively smaller than the city and county of L.A., and to encourage riders, Metro will need to focus on public safety, in particular by hiring more ambassadors.

Bass is expected to travel back to Paris for the Paralympic Games from Sept. 6-8.

On Sunday, Bass took the Olympic 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 LA-area natives Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

After Bass received the flag, California native H.E.R. performed the US 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.

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 US 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 a pre-recorded segment in sunny Long 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.

During an earlier news conference, Bass promised a “no-car games” in 2028 — doing so through an expansion of its public transportation system and encouraging businesses to allow employees to work from home during the 17 days of the Olympics to avoid traffic jams.

Although most Olympic events in Los Angeles will be accessible only via public transit, some large venues such as SoFi Stadium are still expected to permit on-site vehicle parking.

Bass emphasized that the dire traffic nightmares predicted before LA’s last Olympics never materialized.

“In 1984, 40 years ago, Mayor (Tom) Bradley, the first Black mayor of Los Angeles, held an Olympic Games that, 40 years later, still benefits Los Angeles, and we want to build on that legacy together,” she said. (CNS)