Olympics
Olympic flag arrives in Los Angeles, host city for 2028 Games
The Olympic flag arrived on Monday in Los Angeles, where it will be flown in 2028 when the city hosts the next Summer Games.
The flag arrived aboard a Delta Airlines jet carrying American athletes and officials, and painted with “LA28” and palm trees on its side. Hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur’s “California Love” blasted on loudspeakers on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport as the plane came to a stop.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stepped off the plane dressed in a red Team USA tracksuit, smiled broadly and waved the Olympic flag before descending airstairs to be greeted by California Governor Gavin Newsom. Olympic diver Delaney Schnell, skateboarder Tate Carew and others accompanied the mayor.
Bass said at the airport that she felt a “tremendous pride and responsibility” in being given the Olympic Flag in Paris on Sunday. While Los Angeles has been putting in the work to host a great Games, the mayor said American organizers now really felt the “need to put our foot on the gas.”
The International Olympic Committee awarded Los Angeles the right in 2017 to host the 2028 Games. It will be the third time LA has hosted the Games in the modern era, after being the host city in 1932 and 1984.
Bass acknowledged Paris had set a high bar as an Olympic host, and that LA’s homelessness problem would be a challenge to overcome. But the City of Angels has one world-class asset that nobody else can claim: “We do have Hollywood, so I expect a lot of magical opportunities,” she told Reuters in Paris.
Olympic officials in Paris handed the flag to their American counterparts on Sunday during the closing ceremony. Actor Tom Cruise provided a dose of Hollywood flare in Paris, as he rappelled from the roof of France’s national stadium to receive the flag.
Cruise’s exit from Paris’ closing ceremony on a motorbike saw it transition to a pre-recorded video of the 62-year-old skydiving down to the Hollywood sign, where a wide shot showed the Olympic rings incorporated into the LA landmark.
-Reuters
The Olympic rings installed on the Eiffel Tower since June to celebrate the upcoming Olympic Games were removed from the Parisian monument early on Friday morning, as confirmed by an AFP photographer. But the Paris City Hall intends to replace them with a more permanent structure until 2028.
The five-coloured rings, measuring 29 metres in length and 15 metres in height, were placed between the first and second levels of the iconic iron structure on 7 June.
According to Inside the Games publication, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants the Olympic symbol to continue decorating the monument until the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
But the descendants of the tower’s creator, Gustave Eiffel are opposing the move. They are insisting that the Olympic rings are aesthetically in conflict with the concept and design of the Tower.
The 30-tonne rings initially installed on the Eiffel Tower were also not designed to withstand winter weather conditions.
Olympics
Despite Egypt winning 3 medals at Paris Olympics, President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that participatedat the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.
The mandate includes a thorough expenditure check and a performance review to better highlight areas of improvement and fund allocation in future Games.
Additionally, the president plans to take necessary measures against federations —such as limiting funds— that had negative results in the Paris Games.
Egypt’s participation in sports where it lacks a competitive advantage will also be limited, as the president aims to direct resources to promising athletes to ensure optimal results. The president also aims to reduce administrative and technical staff within Olympic delegations and task relevant ministries with preparing future Olympic athletes.
Al-Sisi’s Olympic overhaul is to be presented to the cabinet for approval and urged the government to prioritise amending the sports law for the House of Representatives for review.
Egypt took home a total of three medals in the Summer Games. Ahmed El-Gendy triumphed in modern pentathlon, Sara Samir claimed the silver in weightlifting, and 21-year-old fencer Mohamed El-Sayed earned the bronze.
-Insidethegames
Paris 2024 sold a record 12 million tickets for the Olympics and Paralympics, beating the Games record previously set by London 2012, organisers said on Sunday.
Some 9.5 million tickets were sold for the Olympics and 2.5 million for the Paralympics, which end on Sunday.
In 2012, London organisers set the record for the Paralympics with 2.7 million tickets sold but only 8.2 million were sold for the Olympics.
-Reuters
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