Mayor Karen Bass will receive the official Olympic flag from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo Sunday as Los Angeles takes the baton from Paris and begins the four-year countdown to the 2028 Summer Games.
Bass will receive the flag during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, an entertainment-filled extravaganza that is expected to feature performances from Southern California natives Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as H.E.R., and an unspecified stunt from Tom Cruise.
The mayor has noted the historic nature of LA’s first female mayor receiving the flag from Hidalgo, the first woman to lead that city.
“Mayor Hidalgo is the first woman to serve as Mayor of Paris and being the first woman to serve as Mayor of Los Angeles, we know that tomorrow, as Casey described, we will be sharing a historic moment as I received the flag from her,” Bass said Saturday. “And when we do that exchanging of the flag, we will be sending a message to girls all across the world that they can do anything. They can run for the gold, and they can run for office, or hopefully they’ll do both!”
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 Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.
Bass is expected to return to Los Angeles on Monday with the flag. Upon her arrival at LAX at about 2 p.m., she will host a news conference to showcase the flag and highlights of her trip.
The mayor will also travel to Paris for the Paralympic Games from Sept. 6-8, as Los Angeles and other Southern California cities are set to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028.
The Olympic flag was created for the Olympic Jubilee Congress in 1914 in Paris in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Olympic movement. The interlocking rings were first drawn by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, on a letter in July 1913 — representing the union of the five continents and meeting of athletes from throughout the world. It’s become one of the most recognized symbols, and the passing of the flag from one host city to another has become tradition at the closing of the games.
During a news conference Saturday, 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.
“Back in L.A., we’re already meeting with businesses about procurement, especially small businesses. And I’ll say that that’s something that I admire Paris is doing, making a commitment that a percentage of the business goes to small businesses here, we’re already working to create jobs by expanding our public transportation system in order for us to have a no car games,” Bass said Saturday. “And that’s a feat in Los Angeles, because we’ve always been in love with our cars, but we’re already working to ensure that we can build a greener Los Angeles.”
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 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.
City News Service contributed to this article.