On Monday, August 12, the Olympic flag arrived in Los Angeles, the city which will be hosting the 2028 Summer Games.
The flag, which had “LA28” and palm trees decorated on its side, was carried by American athletes and officials on a Delta Airlines aircraft.
After exiting the aircraft wearing a red Team USA tracksuit, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass raised the Olympic flag, grinned widely, and descended the stairs to meet California Governor Gavin Newsom. The mayor was accompanied by skateboarder Tate Carew, Olympic diver Delaney Schnell, and many others.
Bass expressed her overflowing pride on receiving the Olympic flag in Paris and said that it was a tremendous responsibility. The mayor stated that although Los Angeles has been working hard to host a fantastic Games, the American organizers still felt the need to exert themselves for the next Olympics.
The mayor agreed that LA’s homelessness issue would be difficult to solve and that Paris had set a high standard for their hosting of the Olympics. The City of Angels does, however, possess one exceptional resource that no other city can match, she declared: “We do have Hollywood, so I expect a lot of magical opportunities.”
Los Angeles as host city for the third time
Los Angeles was granted the honour of hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics by the International Olympic Committee in 2017. After serving as the host city in 1932 and 1984, Los Angeles will be hosting the Games for the third time in history.
During the 2024 Olympics closing ceremony, officials in Paris gave their American counterparts the flag. Hollywood flair was added to Paris by actor Tom Cruise, who added to the drama by rappelling from the top of France’s national stadium.
Source: CNA