In a Mission Impossible spectacle, Tom Cruise appeared to carry the Olympic flag from France to California during the Olympic Games closing ceremony on Monday (AEST).
The Hollywood star abseiled from the roof of the Stade de France, then rode away with the flag on a motorbike, jumped on a plane to California and finally paraglided down onto the iconic Hollywood sign with the flag.
This officially gave Los Angeles the status of host of the Summer Olympics. After the Games in 1932 and 1984, this will be the third time that the Olympic Games will be held in this city.
“Los Angeles 1984 was special! Let’s do it again at LA28!” says the post on the official Instagram page of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The Los Angeles Olympic Games will take place from July 14 to 30, 2028, and the countdown on the official LA28 site has already begun.
So here’s what we already know about the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
Evolving emblem
Games organizers say LA28’s emblem represents “the city’s vibrant culture of creativity, sport and self-expression.”
The LA28 emblem continues to evolve and includes more than 40 different, unique versions. In the emblem, the L, 2 and 8 are static and the A is created by the U.S. Olympic athletes or local LA artists and musicians.
Creators include US Olympic athlete and cross-country mountain biker Kate Courtney. Her version of the A is hand-drawn and inspired by the hand-drawn bike racing ads in the birthplace of mountain biking in Marin County, California.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers also designed their own version of a logo – “a rainbow and a cloud became an A,” said the band’s lead singer, Anthony Kiedis, in a YouTube interview with LA28 organizers.
“Our first record came out in 1984, to coincide with the LA Olympics. It was a very exciting time for music in LA. It was still kind of the end of the punk rock scene,” Kiedis said.
“And the fact that it’s coming back here definitely makes it important to me to become the starting point guard for the USA basketball team.”
LA28 is the logo for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Source: Getty / /
New sports at the Olympics and Paralympics
The LA28 Olympic Games will feature two new sports: flag football and squash, while baseball, softball, cricket (Twenty20) and lacrosse (Sixes) will make their comeback at the Olympic Games after an absence of several years or decades.
Each proposed sport was assessed according to IOC criteria, which include economic responsibility, gender equality, integrity of the sport, fan interest and relevance to youth.
Casey Wasserman, chairman of LA28, said the new sports were proposed to “spark the imagination on the field and advance the culture beyond.”
“They are relevant, innovative and community-focused and are played in backyards, schoolyards, community centers, stadiums and parks across the United States and around the world,” Wasserman said.
“They will bring new athletes to the Games, engage diverse fan bases and expand the Games’ presence in the digital space, further amplifying LA28’s mission to deliver an unparalleled experience.”
The LA28 Organising Committee is the first to include paraclimbing in the Paralympic sports programme. At the 2028 Paralympic Games, paraclimbing will join the 22 confirmed Paralympic sports.
Breaking – commonly known as breakdancing – which made its debut at this year’s Paris Games, will not be used again at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
Breaking, which debuted at the Paris Games, will not be reinstated at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Source: AAP / Daniel Himbrechts
“Fiscally responsible” games
According to the organisers, the main objective in selecting the venues is to make the Games “financially viable” by using fewer temporary venues and allocating sports to those already available.
Several historic venues will host Olympic sports for the second – and even third – time.
The LA Memorial Coliseum hosts track and field and para-track and field events, making it the only stadium in history to host track and field events at three Olympic Games.
Diving will return to the same venue where it was held at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics – the 1932 swimming pool at Exposition Park.
Gymnastics competitions are held in the legendary arena in Downtown LA – home of the Lakers from the NBA, the Kings from the NHL and the Sparks from the WNBA.
The stadium in Inglewood will be the largest swimming facility in Olympic history, with up to 38,000 seats.
Some events will be held outside of Los Angeles. Canoe slalom and softball venues in Southern California can only accommodate up to 2,000 people. Organizers have said they will not move those sports to new venues, but will relocate them to existing venues in Oklahoma City, more than 1,100 miles east of LA.
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Inglewood Stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Paralympics and Winter Olympics are still to come
Although the torch was passed to Los Angeles at the closing ceremony, there is still a lot to look forward to between now and 2028.
The 2024 Paralympics will take place in Paris from August 28 to September 8. It will be the first time that the event will take place in Paris.
This year’s Paralympic Games will feature 22 sports, including archery, badminton, cycling, football, judo, paracanoe, paratriathlon, rowing, swimming, taekwondo and wheelchair basketball.
The next Winter Olympics in 2026 will take place from February 6 to 22 in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. The Winter Paralympics will take place from March 6 to 15.
