Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will be in Paris for the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games on Sunday, Sept. 8, just as she was last month for the Olympics closing ceremony.
Bass is expected to arrive in Paris on Friday and will return to L.A. Monday afternoon, according to the mayor’s office.
On Thursday, Sept. 12, the city plans to host an invite-only installation ceremony as the Olympic and Paralympic flags will be displayed as part of an Olympics-themed exhibit outside the mayor’s office at City Hall.
L.A. is gearing up to host the next Summer Olympics in 2028. It will be the third time the city has hosted the Summer Olympics and its first time hosting the Paralympic Games.
But before all eyes turn to Los Angeles as it prepares to host the world’s biggest sporting event in four years, there is one major ceremony left to close out the Paris Games.
On Sunday, Broadway star Ali Stroker, singer Anderson .Paak, jazz pianist Matthew Whitaker and violinist and composer Gaelynn Lea will join Team USA Paralympians and L.A. natives Samantha Bosco, Ezra Frech and Jamal Hill for the LA28 Paralympic Handover celebration during the closing ceremony of the Paris games, organizers have announced.
The handover will be broadcast live on CNBC and Peacock at 11 a.m. Pacific Time.
“The LA28 Paralympic Handover will be a historic moment, as Los Angeles prepares to host the city’s first-ever Paralympic Games,” LA28 Chair and President Casey Wasserman said. “When Paris hands the flag over to L.A., we are thrilled to have the opportunity to spotlight the Paralympics with a cast of allies, artists and advocates who share our commitment to furthering the Movement.”
After the Paralympic flag is passed to Los Angeles, Stroker will kick off the handover by singing the U.S. national anthem live at the Stade de France.
Following Stroker’s performance in Paris, the handover will “spotlight music and movement” against the backdrop of Venice Beach, organizers said. Whitaker, Lea and rapper and athlete Garnett Silver-Hall will participate in a show that will feature an “interactive musical performance” from Anderson .Paak.
He’ll be joined by athletes in the world of adaptive skateboarding and wheelchair motocross, including Oscar Loreto Jr., Kanya Sesser and Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham. Actress Lauren Ridloff from “The Walking Dead” and Marvel’s “Eternals” will also be featured.
USC track and field athlete Frech, who won two gold medals in this summer’s Paralympic Games, said L.A.’s plans to host the Paralympics for the first time in 2028 “will be one of the most significant moments in history for people with a disability.”
“For me as an L.A. native, it will absolutely be one the most memorable moments in my sporting career and life — an experience I cannot wait to share with my hometown and community,” he said.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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