LOS ANGELES (California, US), Aug 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Olympic flag arrived in California’s Los Angeles, where it will be flown in 2028 when the city hosts the next Summer Games.
The flag arrived aboard a Delta Airlines jet carrying American athletes and officials, and was painted with “LA28” and palm trees on its side.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stepped off the plane dressed in a red Team USA tracksuit, smiled broadly and waved the Olympic flag before descending airstairs to be greeted by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Olympic diver Delaney Schnell, skateboarder Tate Carew and others accompanied the mayor.
Bass said at the airport that she felt a “tremendous pride and responsibility” in being given the Olympic Flag in Paris.
While Los Angeles has been putting in the work to host a great Games, the mayor said American organisers now really felt the “need to put our foot on the gas.”
The International Olympic Committee awarded Los Angeles the right in 2017 to host the 2028 Games. It will be the third time LA has hosted the Games in the modern era, after being the host city in 1932 and 1984.
Bass acknowledged Paris had set a high bar as an Olympic host, and that LA’s homelessness problem would be a challenge to overcome.
Olympic officials in Paris handed the flag to their American counterparts during the closing ceremony. Actor Tom Cruise provided a dose of Hollywood flare in Paris, as he rappelled from the roof of France’s national stadium to receive the flag.
Cruise’s exit from Paris’ closing ceremony on a motorbike saw it transition to a pre-recorded video of the 62-year-old skydiving down to the Hollywood sign, where a wide shot showed the Olympic rings incorporated into the LA landmark. — NNN-AGENCIES