Los Angeles takes reins from Paris for Paralympics

Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass holds the Paralympic flag during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paralympics, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

LOS ANGELES – For the second time this summer, Los Angeles took the reins from Paris Sunday in a star-studded ceremony setting the stage for the 2028 Paralympics.

Broadway star Ali Stroker, singer Anderson .Paak, jazz pianist Matthew Whitaker and violinist and composer Gaelynn Lea joined Team USA Paralympians and Los Angeles natives Samantha Bosco, Ezra Frech and Jamal Hill for Sunday’s LA28 Paralympic Handover celebration.

The Paralympic flag was passed from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Team USA Paralympian Blake Leeper.

Stroker sang the national anthem at Stade de France, as Paris held the closing ceremony for its 2024 Paralympics. Stroker is the first actor who uses a wheelchair to appear on a Broadway stage, and also the first to be nominated for and win a Tony Award.

“The Paralympic Games allow millions of people with disabilities to see themselves represented on the world’s biggest and most competitive stage in sports,” Stroker said last week. “I’ve had many incredible roles in my life, from Broadway performer to actor and author to disability advocate.

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Today, I’m thrilled to play a role in the Paralympic Movement, alongside LA28, and represent the United States with the national anthem at the Closing Ceremony.

In this moment, my hope is to elevate the power of embracing your limitations by turning them into opportunities, just like the thousands of Paralympians representing their country at the Games.”

Following Stroker’s performance in Paris, the handover spotlighted “music and movement” against the backdrop of the Venice Beach Skate Park, where Whitaker, Lea and rapper and athlete Garnett Silver-Hall participated in a show that feature an “interactive musical performance” from Anderson .Paak.

“The LA28 Paralympic Handover will be a historic moment, as Los Angeles prepares to host the city’s first-ever Paralympic Games,” LA28 Chairperson and President Casey Wasserman said last week. “When Paris hands the flag over to LA, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to spotlight the Paralympics with a cast of allies, artists and advocates who share our commitment to furthering the Movement.”

The 2028 Summer Paralympics will take place Aug. 22-Sept. 3, a few weeks after Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics. (CNS)

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