LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass returned to Los Angeles today with the official Olympic Flag after she made history by becoming the first Black woman mayor to ever receive the Olympic flag at a closing ceremony of the Olympic Games. During the ceremony, Mayor Bass received the flag as part of the handover ceremony from Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who is the first woman to serve as Mayor of Paris. Team USA Gymnast Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, joined Mayor Bass in receiving the flag during the historic moment. She returned to L.A. alongside LA28 and regional leaders. Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Photos and b-roll of the flight arrival available here. Photos and b-roll of the Mayor’s trip to Paris available here.
The Mayor’s top priority for the 2028 Games is to ensure Angelenos benefit from the preparation and hosting of this major event, both now and for decades. She is focused on helping local, small businesses, creating local jobs, and delivering lasting environmental and transportation improvements throughout Los Angeles.
“The Olympic Games have officially come back to Los Angeles,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “We have been working with the urgency that is required to put on an international event, and we are focused on all the ways we can match Paris’ success in Los Angeles. My goals for the Games are big, and I want to ensure Angelenos from all corners of the City have the opportunity to show the world all of our communities, that we will grow small and local businesses, and that we will invest in the transportation improvements necessary to leave a lasting legacy in our city for generations to come. Forty years ago, Mayor Bradley hosted a Games that continue to benefit Los Angeles – I will be sure to do the same. Congratulations to the City of Paris, Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Paris 2024 for an outstanding Olympic Games. We look forward to seeing a transformative Paralympic Games in Paris in just a few weeks.”
The Olympic flag – one of the most recognizable symbols of the Olympic Games – 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. The Olympic symbol representing the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games has gone on to become one of the most recognized symbols in the world and the symbolic passing of the Olympic flag from one host city to another has become a key tradition at the closing of the Games.
During her trip to Paris for the Closing Ceremony, Mayor Bass visited cities and communities outside of the Paris city center to observe how they are engaging the local community and benefiting from the Games. Additionally, Mayor Bass visited the Paris Media Centre, the Athlete’s Village and sporting event venues to examine effective logistics and communication output in order to recreate effective operations in Los Angeles.
Examining the All of Paris Region Approach to Hosting the Games:
Examining Strategies To Embrace The Games In Creative Ways – Mayor Bass landed in Paris in the late afternoon on Wednesday, and shortly thereafter toured the Paris 2024 Olympic cauldron at Tuileries Garden, which is an example of innovative partnership between the private sector and the Games. She was joined by LA Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins and George Pla, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission President. The group also visited Hôtel De Ville, Paris’ historic City Hall, to participate in the City-hosted La Terrasse des Jeux, a free fan festival and watch party where more than 4,000 residents and visitors are able to come together to experience the Games outside of the arenas. The Mayor hopes to implement similar activities throughout the City in 2028.
Observing Creative and Accessible Activations Throughout The Region And Outside of Arenas – Mayor Bass visited the Parc des Nations at La Villette, home to 15 National Olympic Committee’s hospitality houses in a shared urban park space, which includes Club France. Ten of the 15 hospitality houses offer free entry, giving visitors from all around the world the opportunity to cheer on their athletes and feel at home at little to no cost. The park sees around 100,000 visitors a day. The Mayor also visited Station Afrique, a space dedicated to members of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa. Mayor Bass hopes to implement a similar hospitality house system in Los Angeles, where our diaspora communities, visitors, and residents can connect to the cultures and nationalities represented within the Olympic Movement.
Observing Logistics To Optimize The Olympic Experience – Mayor Bass visited the Place de la Concorde, the venue hosting Breaking, 3x3 Basketball, BMX Freestyle Cycling and Skateboard, with LA28 leadership where she observed the crowd flow, capacity, and other important characteristics that will factor into the planning of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Observing Logistics Important To A Successful Olympic Games
Preparing To Host Press From All Over The World – Mayor Bass visited the City of Paris’ temporary Media Center at Carreau du Temple, which is host to hundreds of non-accredited media covering the 2024 Games. Operated by the City of Paris, the Paris Media Centre is designed to give journalists a window into the vibrant atmosphere and dynamism of the City as it hosts the 2024 Games. With capacity for 600 people, the media center provides 300 workstations, two press conference rooms, interview areas, recording studios, as well as relaxation and catering areas, creating a free, all-hours, centralized location for journalists to operate during the 2024 Games.
Observing Sport Competitions – Mayor Bass supported Team USA at the Men’s Basketball final where the USA played against France, while observing the different venues in Paris — their crowd flow, capacity, and other important characteristics that will factor into the planning of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Locking Arms on the International Stage:
In order to host a successful Games in 2028, Mayor Bass is locking arms internationally and across all levels of government to deliver for the people of Los Angeles:
Locking Arms With Federal and Local Partners – Mayor Bass and local leaders including Council President Paul Krekorian, Councilwoman Traci Park, and City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, joined Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff and his Presidential Delegation, including California Senator Laphonza Butler and Congressman Robert Garcia, in meeting with Team USA athletes in the Athletes Village. Mayor Bass also met with athletes and coaches from the Refugee Olympic team, representing more than 100 million displaced persons worldwide, as well as the Director of the Olympic Refugee foundation where they discussed their historic first medal and the significance of the Olympic Refugee team within the Olympics movement.
Strengthening Partnerships For the 2028 Games – Mayor Bass met with Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine Mayor Karim Bouamrane at Saint-Ouen City Hall to follow up on the partnership established with Los Angeles during their meeting in March. This partnership includes collaboration on shared priorities for youth, the environment, sports, and culture and to share knowledge from the 2024 Games experience. Saint-Ouen is a city just north of Paris and with Saint-Denis is home to the Olympic and Paralympic Athletes Village for the 2024 Games - a major reinvestment project that has created thousands of units of affordable and market-rate housing as well as new pedestrian paths and connectivity between communities lining the Seine River. Mayor Bass and Mayor Bouamrane also met with youth from the 100 Black Men of America Summer 2024 Cultural Exchange, an opportunity for young future leaders to experience new perspectives by visiting a foreign country, granting them permission to explore and learn about respecting cultures different from their own. It aims to inspire ideas for enhancing their communities, instill the importance of learning foreign languages, emphasize the significance of pursuing higher education, and foster tolerance. The delegation to Saint-Ouen during the Paris 2024 Games consist of participants from Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, New Orleans, Louisiana, Savannah, Georgia, Prince George’s County, Maryland, and London, England. There are six young men and four young women in the delegation.
Partnering with Private Companies like Delta – An LA28 inaugural founding partner, Mayor Bass met with Delta leadership as she continues to lock arms with the public and private sectors to create a lasting legacy from the 2028 Games.
Mayor Bass made the following announcements while in Paris:
Delivering Critical Street Safety Provisions Near Schools: Hundreds of safety provisions near schools have been installed to make it safer for students to get to and from school. These installations follow action from the Mayor and City Council last year in response to tragic pedestrian deaths.
Bringing More Angelenos Inside: More than 30 unhoused Angelenos were brought inside with supportive services through Inside Safe response efforts in areas including South Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood.
Helping House Vets: Following the direct advocacy of Mayor Bass and the United States Conference of Mayors to the federal government, a new policy change will make more veterans eligible for housing and increase their housing options. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a federal notice establishing policy changes that make it clear that veterans experiencing homelessness should not be disqualified from supportive housing based on their disability status.
Expanding Safety Programs: The Crisis and Incident Response through Community-led Engagement (CIRCLE) program is expanding its current Venice and Del Rey service area to also cover Oakwood, Mar Vista, Palms, Playa Vista, Playa Del Rey, Westchester, Manchester Square and Dockweiler Beach. CIRCLE provides services to help respond to calls involving unhoused individuals, including loitering, well-being checks, noise disturbances, substance abuse issues, and indecent exposure. The expansion will launch 24/7 service on Sunday, August 25th.
Serving Communities All Across L.A: Mayor Bass announced the final weekend of Summer Night (SNL), a program that provides safe, family-friendly programming as a strategy to prevent violence in certain neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles, which has hired more than 600 Angelenos to support, and more than 80,000 residents and visitors have attended. SNL is part of a proven comprehensive strategy to reduce violent crime and improve health across the City. This summer, SNL has been in more than 40 sites across the City of Los Angeles on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm until August 10th. Please see photos here.
Supporting The Entertainment Industry: Mayor Bass issued her eighth executive directive to streamline and focus City department processes for local film and television production. Hollywood and entertainment leaders applauded Mayor Bass’ executive directive to renew city support for L.A.’s entertainment industry.
Connecting Angelenos With The Olympic Games: The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP) hosted a series of live-streamed viewing parties of the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, France and offered sports activities for youth across the city. The PlayLA Youth and Adaptive Youth Sports Programs under RAP are bringing the excitement of the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games to Los Angeles. PlayLA is the single largest commitment to youth sports development in California and serves as a legacy before, during and after the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
BACKGROUND
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass attended the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games as part of the official Presidential Delegation led by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden as she continues crucial preparations for the Los Angeles region to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028. Ensuring Angelenos benefit from the preparation and hosting of this major event, both now and for decades, is a top priority for the Mayor with a focus on helping local small businesses, creating local jobs and creating lasting environmental and transportation improvements throughout Los Angeles. Photos and video from throughout the trip are available here.
Key takeaways from her Opening Ceremony trip to Paris included:
Celebrate the Games throughout the entire city in a way that benefits all
Small and local businesses are a priority
Coordination and communication is key
Volunteers play an integral role
Efficient and convenient transportation is imperative
Read more about the Mayor’s trip to Paris for the Opening Ceremony here.
In March of this year, Mayor Bass led a delegation of members of the City Council and other civic leaders to Paris, France to generate business development and learn from innovative housing, green transportation and infrastructure projects to prepare Los Angeles ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and to create lasting impacts in L.A. for generations to come. The delegation met with French officials, dignitaries and business leaders to see how Paris was preparing for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The delegation included Council President Paul Krekorian, Councilmember Traci Park, Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, LA Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins, LA84 Foundation President and CEO Renata Simril, and Priscilla Cheng, Senior Vice President for Government Relations at LA28. All three Councilmembers sit on the Ad Hoc Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Councilmembers Park and Yaroslavsky serve as Chair and Vice-Chair, respectively and President Krekorian was a member of the Ad Hoc Committee when the host city contract was signed. Since the delegation trip in March, Mayor Bass has continued to prepare Los Angeles with a focus on economic investment and business procurement, building a greener Los Angeles by improving upon green transportation and infrastructure, and confronting the homelessness crisis with the urgency it requires.
Economic Investment and Business Procurement: Los Angeles is engaging with local small businesses to optimize the procurement opportunities anticipated to flow through the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Mayor’s Office is hosting roundtables with business associations to receive their input on how best to engage their members and other stakeholders with procurement and contract opportunities ahead of the 2028 Games. The Mayor’s Office and city departments are also working closely with LA28’s Community Business Working Group, which will develop the plan and specific goals for small and local businesses as a key part of their procurement strategy.
A Greener Los Angeles with Green Infrastructure and Transportation: Los Angeles’ commitment to host more sustainable Games dates back to the bid, with a pledge to radical reuse by leveraging the city’s wealth of existing world-class venues. The 2028 Summer Games will become the first-ever Games to build no new permanent venues, and instead will rely exclusively on existing and temporary venues. Additionally, Los Angeles is focused on lowering the overall footprint of the Games by promoting the use of circular construction principles for temporary venue sites and significantly reducing waste at the games. Los Angeles aims to host a transit-first Games and will also promote the use of zero-emission vehicles. Ahead of welcoming the world to Los Angeles in 2028, the city will also enhance water conservation by promoting water efficient fixtures, plant water saving landscapes and enhance existing open and green spaces. The Mayor’s Office is working closely with LA28 in order to ensure alignment and accelerate the City’s sustainability goals.
Strengthening Transportation and Infrastructure: The Los Angeles region recently secured nearly $80 million to electrify Metro buses to reduce air pollution. This followed $900 million in federal funding awarded to strengthen critical infrastructure, expand the Metro Rail system and reconnect communities ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games through a spending package signed into law by President Biden and new grant funding from the Biden-Harris Administration. LA Metro will receive $709.9 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Fiscal Year 2024 transportation spending law, which will go toward sections two and three of the D Line (Purple) Subway Extension Project, among other projects. The Los Angeles region will also receive $160 million in new federal grant funding for street and transit infrastructure, traffic safety and to improve connections between neighborhoods. This includes $139 million that will directly improve transportation mobility access during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and create lasting enhancements for communities. More here.