Tom Cruise brought the Olympic flag to LA from Paris in the most Tom Cruise way possible Sunday during the Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass brought the official flag back to Southern California by more traditional means -- a Delta flight that landed early Monday afternoon at LAX. Bass' arrival marked the kick off to a four-year countdown to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The flag was transported aboard a specially designed Delta plane with the LA 28 logo on its side.
"When the plane landed, to see all these Angelenos here, all excited about the Games, this is what we need," Bass said. "We have the flag now. It's on us. We've got a lot of work to do."
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She exited the plane alongside LA 28 chair Casey Wasserman, Olympic diver Delaney Schnell and skateboarder Tate Carew. The plane was adorned with an LA 28 paint scheme.
Bass will return to Paris for the Paralympic Games from Sept. 6-8. She arrived Thursday in Paris with LA28 President Casey Wasserman, City Councilman President Paul Krekorian, Councilwoman Traci Park and City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo. The U.S. delegation also included first lady Jill Biden, California Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.
The Olympic flag is in flight, officially on its way to LA. 🇺🇸#LA28 #Olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/SCvSq3zAT5
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 12, 2024
Bass received the flag on stage during a cinematic Closing Ceremony at the Stade de France in Paris. The handover from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to Bass marked the first flag exchange between two female mayors and the first time it was received by a Black woman mayor.
Cruise appeared to transport the Olympic flag to Los Angeles, but that action sequence was pure Hollywood magic.
Cruise made a dramatic entrance from the roof of France's national stadium and took things from there, first on a motorcycle, then a transport plane from which he skydived into Los Angeles' Griffith Park, where he was seen adding the colorful Olympic rings to the Hollywood sign. The flag was handed off to mountain biker Kate Courtney, four-time track and field gold medalist Michael Johnson and Paris Olympics skateboarding silver medalist Jagger Eaton.
The Olympic flag was created for the Olympic Jubilee Congress in 1914 in Paris in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Olympic movement. The interlocking rings were first drawn by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, on a letter in July 1913 -- representing the union of the five continents and meeting of athletes from throughout the world. It's become one of the most recognized symbols, and the passing of the flag from one host city to another has become tradition at the closing of the games.
The flag, which will be taken to Los Angeles City Hall, is raised at the main venue during the Opening Ceremony. The 2028 Olympics will be Los Angeles' third as the host city, previously hosting the Olympics in 1932 and 1984.
