Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass arrived in Paris this week as part of the official delegation representing the United States during Friday's Opening Ceremony.
Bass was aboard Air Force 2 with first lady Jill Biden on the flight to the French capital, where some of the 39 Olympic sports have already opened competition. The Opening Ceremony is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday, when about 100 boats will float down a 3.7-miles stretch of the city's Seine River.
Bass and the first lady were greeted at Paris Orly Airport by Ambassador Denise Campbell Bauer, U.S. Ambassador to the French Republic and the Principality of Monaco; Ambassador Sean Patrick Maloney, U.S. Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); and Ambassador Courtney Diesel O’Donnell, U.S. Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
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Assistant Team USA women's basketball coach Dawn Staley; Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California); Sen. Chris Coons, of Delaware; Casey Wasserman, chairperson of the LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games; and three-time Olympic figure skater Brian Boitano also are part of the delegation.
Bass' visit comes with four years to go until Los Angeles joins Paris and London as a three-time Olympic host city. The mayor was asked what she worries about most.
"I'm worried about everything," Bass said. "One, we have to make sure we have enough transportation. The goal of our Games is to be car-free. We don't do much car-free in Los Angeles. We need 3,000 buses, we need to borrow them from all over the county. I would love for them to be all be electric vehicles, but they won't be because the supply of electrical vehicles is not that broad."
Bass said there also will be a need for coordination with surrounding communities that will host Olympics events in 2028.
As for the athletes in Paris, Bass said she is most looking forward to watching gymnast Simone Biles.
The Opening Ceremony will air live on NBC and stream live on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com, beginning July 26 at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT.
