Photo: DIMITAR DILKOFF / AFP / Getty Images
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Mayor Karen Bass will lead a delegation of city leaders to Paris this week to prepare Los Angeles to host the Olympic Games in 2028, Bass' office announced Tuesday.
The delegation includes City Council President Paul Krekorian, council members Traci Park and Katy Yaroslavsky (all three sit on the city's Ad Hoc Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games), Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins, LA84 Foundation President and CEO Renata Simril and Priscilla Cheng, senior vice president for Government Relations at LA28.
The officials will leave Wednesday and return Sunday.
The group will meet with French officials, dignitaries and business leaders to see how Paris is preparing for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which are set to begin at the end of July.
"The city of Los Angeles must be prepared to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This trip is vital to that preparation while generating business development and learning from innovative housing, green transportation and infrastructure projects," Bass said in a statement.
"If we wait until the Opening Ceremonies to be on the ground in Paris, we miss a crucial opportunity to learn from the city of Paris during their preparations to welcome the world this summer and this trip will allow us to fully immerse ourselves in the Olympic and Paralympic planning process in order to generate growth for Los Angeles," she added.
Bass has been invited to have an official role alongside Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo in the Closing Ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Games.
In regard to business development, the delegation is expected to meet with French companies in the transportation, sustainability, sports and technology sectors and discuss possible investment in Los Angeles. Additionally, Bass' office noted city officials will look to lay the groundwork with businesses like Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield for consumer engagement in major events.
The delegation will tour La Fabrique de la Solidarité to learn about Paris' homelessness response strategy. The group specializes in distribution of basic necessities and support for seniors. The delegation will join the Paris Homelessness Assistance Unit to learn more about their outreach efforts to the homeless in Paris ahead of the games.
On green transportation and infrastructure, the delegation will visit Saint-Denis and Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, including a visit to the newly inaugurated Athlete's Village just outside of Paris, to learn more about their community centered redevelopment. After the games, the village reportedly will be used for housing as an "eco-responsible neighborhood."
In addition, the delegation will learn about Paris' temporary Media Center at The Carreau du Temple, which will host hundreds of non-accredited media covering the 2024 Games. With capacity for 600 people, the center will provide 300 workstations, two news conference rooms, interview areas, recording studios and relaxation and catering areas, creating a free, all-hours, centralized location for journalists during the events.