‘How are we going to top this?' After Opening Ceremony, first lady Jill Biden hypes LA 2028
The Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony featured the city's timeless beauty, bewildering imagery and Celine Dion singing on the Eiffel Tower. Your move, Los Angeles.
The First Lady talks about her experience at the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony and looks ahead to the U.S. hosting the next Games in Los Angeles.
First lady Jill Biden was in awe of a Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony that featured a flying cauldron, Celine Dion performing on the Eiffel Tower, a zip-lining torchbearer and a head-spinning array of theatrics.
After the ceremony to mark the official start of the Olympics, Biden spoke at a brunch to commemorate the opening and celebrate the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and LA28’s Casey Wasserman accompanied her as part of the official U.S. delegation at the Opening Ceremony, which blended the timeless beauty of Paris with high drama on an eerily cloudy and rainy night.
“So, last night, it was just spectacular,” Biden said. “The rain did not dampen our spirits. Every step of the way, I was thinking to myself, ‘Oh my god, oh my god. How are we going to top this?’
“So, ok. Paris has the Eiffel Tower, but we have Hollywood and the magic of Hollywood that makes all dreams come true. I think we’re going to be ok... It’s a city where new generations of dreamers shape our culture.”
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A rendering of the SoFi Stadium venue planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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A rendering of the Oklahoma City softball venue planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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A rendering of the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area venue planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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A rendering of the Intuit Dome venue planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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A rendering of the USC campus pool venue planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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A rendering of the LA Memorial Coliseum venue planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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A rendering of the Intuit Dome venue planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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A rendering of the Crypto.com Arena venue planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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A rendering of the canoe competition venue planned for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
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One of the largest buildings of its kind in the country, the Los Angeles Convetion Center will host fencing, judo, table tennis, taekwondo and wresting at the 2028 Olympics. It housed the main press headquarters for the 1984 Olympics.
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Long Beach’s Belmont Shore will host sailing events in the 2028 Olympics.
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The 242-acre Equestrian Center in Temecula will be home to equestrian events in the 2028 Olympics.
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The home of volleyball and fencing at the 1984 Olympics, Long Beach will provide a venue on the waterfront for handball in 2028.
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The athletic fields in Carson are used by the MLS LA Galaxy for training, but they will become a temporary field hockey venue for the 2028 Olympics.
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Marine Stadium in Long Beach will be home to canoe sprint and rowing at the 2028 Olympics. The location hosted rowing in the 1932 Olympics.
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The waterfront in Long Beach will be home to marathon swimming the triathlon at the 2028 Olympics.
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The Carson Tennis Center will host tennis at the 2028 LA Olympics.
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The velodrome in Carson will host track cycling in the 2028 Olympics. It is next to the site of the demolished velodrome for the 1984 Olympics. It is the largest indoor velodrome in the United States.
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Fore! The Riviera Country Club in West Los Angeles will host golf at the 2028 Olympics.
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The Theatre venue in downtown Los Angeles’ LA Live will host weightlifting in the 2028 Olympics.
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The Galen Center at USC in Exposition Park south of downtown Los Angeles will host badminton in the 2028 Olympics.
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Home to the LA Galaxy of MLS, the stadium in Carson will be home to rugby sevens in the 2028 Olympics.
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Artistic swimming and water polo will be at the Long Beach Convention Center in the 2028 Olympics.
Biden enthusiastically described Los Angeles as a place with “endless blue skies” where cultures meet.
“At the end of the 2028 Games, Olympians and fans will see themselves reflected in Los Angeles,” Biden said.
The 2028 Summer Olympics will mark Los Angeles’ third time as host city for the Olympics, having previously hosted in 1984 and 1932. Only Paris and London have matched that achievement.
Los Angeles' venues will include some of the same that provided stages for the 1984 -- and even 1932 -- Olympics, but also will feature some additions since then, such as the Intuit Dome and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
Friday night's Opening Ceremony featured a few nods to Los Angeles, with LeBron James and Team USA's flag-bearer and Long Beach's Snoop Dogg carrying the Olympics torch on a relay leg. The Closing Ceremony will include a handover from France to the United States.
