Mayor Bass returns from Paris with the official Olympic flag, Los Angeles to host the 2028 Summer Games

As Paris closed out two and a half weeks of Olympic sports, Mayor Karen Bass returned home from the games Monday to showcase the official Olympic flag as Los Angeles and other Southern California cities will host the events in 2028.

On Sunday, the Los Angeles mayor took the flag from International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, who had taken it from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo during a star-studded show in France's national stadium.

After landing at LAX and carrying the flag off the plane with a contingent of smiling Olympic athletes, Bass and other city leaders held a brief news conference to discuss the experience and what's ahead for Los Angeles.

"It is wonderful to be home, it was amazing to be there last night, and that closing ceremony," Bass said.  

"And I just have to say, Mayor Hidalgo was just wonderful, just opened everything, was very supportive of us. And so that hand-off to me was more than just symbolism. A friendship has developed between our two cities." 

Bass was in Paris along with several other local officials, including LA28 President Casey Wasserman, City Council President Paul Krekorian, Councilwoman Traci Park and City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo. They were also joined by second gentleman Douglas Emhoff and his presidential delegation, California Senator Laphonza Butler, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson and Long Beach Representative Robert Garcia.  

The Los Angeles mayor and area leaders said they studied and observed the Paris games to learn what worked and what didn't work from an organizational point of view to gain a greater picture of what will be needed come 2028. 

Bass visited the Paris Media Centre, the Olympic Village, and several sporting event venues to gather information on the logistics needed for stadiums and other facilities. 

At Monday's news conference, Bass admitted to feeling a fair share of pressure now that the ceremonial flag has been passed. 

"I think we all feel pressure. We feel the pressure to make sure that our city, the region, is prepared and ready and that we take full advantage of what's going to come our way," Bass said.   

Following in Paris' footsteps promises to be a challenge: It made spectacular use of its cityscape for its first Games in 100 years, with the Eiffel Tower and other iconic monuments becoming Olympic stars in their own right as they served as backdrops and venues for competition.

Bass also toured the Paris 2024 Olympic cauldron at the Tuileries Garden with Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins and George Pla, the president of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission. They also visited the Hotel De Ville, Paris City Hall, where they saw a live fan activation at La Terrasse des Jeux, where fans from all over the city could watch games together. 

Bass said that she's hopeful to implement similar programs throughout the city for the Olympics and Paralympics.

Earlier this month, Bass promised that the city was working to expand public transportation to the point that the 2028 Summer Olympics could be a "no-car" event when they come to town. 

She says that the city plans on borrowing thousands of busses from around the nation to transport visitors to and from venues across the area in 2028.   

On top of the new transportation, Bass said she would encourage businesses to allow employees to work from home during the 17 days that the games were in the area, to reduce traffic congestion. 

At Monday's news conference, Krekorian highlighted past Olympic success for the city. "'Everybody who's here remembers what an incredible success the Olympic games were in '84, as they were in 1932 as well, and they will be again in 2028." 

Krekorian also highlighted the financial benefits of being a host city.

"We are going to make this the only city in the world to have ever had three financially successful Olympic games, and that will continue to benefit Angelenos for many generations to come," Krekorian said.  

LA28 is going to mark the first time in Games' history that no new permanent venues will be built for competition, only existing stadiums and venues across the Los Angeles region will be used. The LA28 games will host more than 50 Olympic and Paralympic sports and more than 800 events at just above 80 venues.   

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