The official Olympic flag has made it to Los Angeles, arriving at LAX Monday afternoon to a welcome event playing Tupac Shakur’s song “California Love.”
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass carried the flag off of a Delta plane arriving from Paris emblazoned with the LA28 logo. Dressed in a red Team USA track suit, she waved the flag as she descended the steps.
Bass then passed the flag to Delaney Schnell, a diver and former Olympian, when they made it to the tarmac.
The delegation was met by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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Bass first received the Olympic flag as part of the closing ceremony — making her the first Black woman to do so, according to her office. The ceremony was filled with Hollywood flair, including a stunt by actor Tom Cruise, a clip of the Hollywood sign transformed into the Olympic rings, and performances in Long Beach by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.
Fun fact: The flag that arrived from Paris on Monday was different from the flag shown in Cruise’s pretaped segment — that was a replica.
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson shouted out the “awesome beach party in Long Beach, California with son of Long Beach, Snoop Dog,” in an interview with LAist. “It really made us feel special,” he said.
Richardson added that the entire county will rally together for the Games in 2028.
“There’s no better game than a home game,” he said.
Addressing reporters after arriving at LAX, Bass emphasized partnerships with other cities and infrastructure improvements that will be needed for LA28.
“We want to make sure that the games are accessible in terms of transportation, and so we are going to encourage in every way possible the use of public transportation,” Bass said, noting that L.A.’s rail system has already dramatically improved since the 1984 Games.
@nbcolympics The Summer Olympics are now officially in the hands of Los Angeles. 🇺🇸 #ParisOlympics ♬ original sound - NBC Olympics & Paralympics
So with the Olympic flag officially in our city, what should Angelenos expect ahead of a Hollywood-style games in 2028?
Where will the flag go?
The next stop for the Olympic flag is L.A. City Hall, where it will stay until the games begin in 2028.
The choice to place the flag in City Hall has garnered criticism from some in L.A.’s Japanese and Korean communities after city officials said they would relocate decades-old displays dedicated to L.A.’s sister cities of Nagoya and Busan to make room.
How can I get Olympics tickets?
Tickets aren’t for sale yet, but you can sign up for updates on the LA28 website. Paris started selling tickets about 18 months in advance. If L.A. follows suit, ticket sales could begin around the start of 2027.
What’s happening with public transit?
“LA28 will be a transit-first games, which means that spectators will be encouraged to take public transportation to get to the myriad of world class venues where the games will be held,” Kim Parker Gordon, a spokesperson for the L.A. Olympic and Paralympic Games, previously told LAist.
Of the 28 transit projects expected to be completed by the 2028 Olympics, five are finished, three are set to open this year, and the remaining 20 are set to be completed between 2025 and 2028.
In addition to rail line extensions, Metro aims to almost double the size of its bus fleet.
Will there be traffic?
We hope not! When L.A. last hosted the Olympics in 1984, it largely avoided any major traffic issues. But that, of course, was decades ago.
At a news conference in Paris last week, Bass unveiled plans for a “no-car games,” meaning that L.A. venues will only be accessible by public transit. She said the city will also be asking businesses to let employees work from home for the 17-day duration of the games.
What about construction?
New Olympics infrastructure often costs host cities a lot of money and inconvenience. But L.A. will make use of already-existing venues, including the Memorial Coliseum, SoFi Stadium, the Kia Forum, the Honda Center and the Rose Bowl.
L.A. also won’t need to build any new housing for an Olympic village because athletes will stay in UCLA dorms for event housing.
Which elements of the Paris games will we see in L.A.?
L.A. doesn’t have the Eiffel Tower, and maybe the croissants here aren’t as good. But there are a number of elements from the 2024 games that L.A. plans to replicate when it’s our turn to host.
In July, Bass’ office said it’s aiming to highlight every one of L.A.’s neighborhoods through the games, and prioritize small and local businesses.
