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Over in Paris, First Lady and Mayor Bass start countdown to LA 2028 Olympics

July 29, 2024

This weekend as Paris kicked off the 2024 Olympic Games, First Lady Jill Biden and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass joined together in the City of Lights to start the countdown to the 2028 Olympic Games in L.A.

In less than 1,500 days the Olympics arrive in America and the U.S Presidential Delegation to the opening ceremony is trying to make every moment count as they study the logistics of the Paris Games, meet with regional stakeholders and, of course, find time to cheer on Team USA athletes. The delegation includes Bass, Biden, US. Sen. Alex Padilla, U.S. Ambassador to France Denise Campbell Bauer and Chair of LA28 Casey Wasserman, among others.

Biden set off the official countdown clock at a Saturday morning reception hosted at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Paris, where she thanked Bass and Wasserman for their efforts to make the Olympic flame “shine brightly in our nation once again,” according to White House pool reports.

During her speech, the First Lady waxed poetic about the allure of Los Angeles, praising its surf and skate culture and noting that international fans will find themselves reflected in the multicultural fabric of the city.

“Under the endless blue skies of Los Angeles, breakdancers glide on concrete plazas, surfers coast on crashing waves, and rollerbladers spin in skate parks by the beach,” Biden said. “It’s a city where new generations of dreamers shape our culture in music studios and on movie sets. A city where communities from around the world live side by side, their cuisines merge, and though the lines of culture blur, their identity as one city becomes brighter and more defined.”

Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles claps during the Opening ceremonies of Paris 2024 Olympic Games with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop in front of the Trocadero along the Seine river in Paris, France on Friday, July 26, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

U.S. first lady Jill Biden congratulates the United States Olympic women’s water polo team after their win over Greece, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Paris, France. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)

U.S. first lady Jill Biden and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass pose for a photo with the United States Olympic women’s water polo team after their win over Greece, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Paris, France. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)

First Lady of the United States Jill Biden and Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass watch on during day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on July 27, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

U.S. first lady Jill Biden and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass pose for a photo with the United States Olympic women’s water polo team after their win over Greece, Satruday, July 27, 2024, in Paris, France. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)

First Lady of the United States Jill Biden and Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass are seen in attendance during day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on July 27, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

LA28 Chairperson Casey Wasserman, from left, is joined by U.S ambassador to France Denise Campbell Bauer, First lady Jill Biden and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass at the Chief of Mission Residence to commemorate the opening of the 2024 Summer Olympics and celebrate the upcoming 2028 Olympic Games, to be held in Los Angeles, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

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Bass introduced the First Lady and shared her own hopes for the 2028 games. She also thanked Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo for her hospitality, saying, “We know that our partnership will not end at the close of the games, that will be another amazing legacy of Olympic cooperation.”

Casey Wasserman, who is leading the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, told a little-known story about the role President Joe Biden played in helping bring the Olympics to Los Angeles.

Wasserman recalled how in 2015 he was unable to get then-President Barack Obama to pay attention to the Association of National Olympic Committees’ General Assembly in Washington D.C. — a key first event in L.A.’s effort to secure the Olympic bid.

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“In case you hadn’t notice, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and some of its leadership feels that they are like heads of state and expect to be treated and get that kind of welcome,” said Wasserman.

Fortunately, then-Vice President Biden stepped in to save the day, Wasserman recalled, by making a last-minute appearance at the conference.

“He came on stage and spoke for 20 minutes and blew the room way,” said Wasserman. “And I will tell you it set the stage for a totally different relation with the Olympic Committee for our two-year journey to bid for the game. That was a really special moment.”

Also in attendance at the LA28 reception in Paris on Saturday was tennis legend and Long Beach native Billie Jean King, who won 39 Grand Slam titles and was once ranked number one in the world.

“To Billie Jean King, it’s wonderful to see you,” said Jill Biden. “You’ve always inspired us to chase down our dreams, on and off the court.”

While at the games this weekend, King found time to link up with fellow Long Beach homie and Long Beach Polytechnic High School Alumni Snoop Dogg.

Met the incomparable @SnoopDogg.

Both of us were born and raised in Long Beach, California, and graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School.

LBC forever in our hearts.#Olympics #paris2024 pic.twitter.com/GlQ9DxzRvi

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) July 29, 2024

The rap icon, whose real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., was hired by NBC to be part of its broadcast team for Paris Games.

His unusual appointment comes amid a push to bring viewers back to the Olympics, which hit an all time low of 15.5 million prime-time viewers during the 2016 Tokyo Games — less than half the viewers of the London 2012 games.

So far Snoop has been serving up the smiles, be it by freestyle rapping at the opening ceremony or proudly cheering on American gymnast Simone Biles while wearing a t-shirt with a giant photo of her face. Also in attendance at Biles’s highly anticipated return to the Olympics on Sunday were some of Hollywood’s biggest stars including Tom Cruise, Jessica Chastain, Greta Gerwig and Cynthia Erivo.

Both Snoop and Bass served as Olympic torch bearers in the rally leading up to the opening ceremony, which Bass described as “incredible” despite the sporadic rainfall.

Amidst all the fanfare Bass also carved out time to meet with French elected officials and strategize how the city of L.A. can use their expertise to maximize the benefit it reaps from the games.

“We look forward to leveraging this experience when we return home, connecting our local small businesses, creating local jobs, and making lasting environmental and transportation improvements throughout the Los Angeles region,” she said in a statement.

Bass flew home to Los Angeles on Sunday evening, but will be back in Paris for the closing ceremony on Aug. 11 when she will receive the official Olympic flag from Paris Mayor Hidalgo.

Orange County Register

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Over in Paris, First Lady and Mayor Bass start countdown to LA 2028 Olympics

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