Mayor Karen Bass participated in the closing ceremony of the 2028 Paris Paralympic Games. (photo courtesy the office of Mayor Karen Bass)

On Sept. 8, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass accepted the Paralympic Flag in Paris, at the close of the 2024 Games. Bass will celebrate the flag’s return to Los Angeles on Thursday, Sept. 12, with a special ceremony.

“Los Angeles has hosted two previous Olympic Games, but never before have we had the opportunity to host the Paralympic Games,” Bass said. “In Paris, we had an unmatched opportunity to learn from this record-breaking Paralympics, from innovations to deliver an accessible experience to continue to build the Paralympic movement in the U.S. ahead of 2028. We are taking back invaluable insights into how to deliver a Paralympic Games that celebrates athletes and fosters inclusion and accessibility both on and off the field of play. These lasting changes won’t just help Angelenos during the Games, they will shape our city for decades to come. I congratulate [Paris Mayor Anne] Hidalgo and Paris 2024 on hosting an incredible Paralympic Games.”

As with the forthcoming Olympic Games, Bass has promised improved infrastructure and public transportation for the Paralympics. The event’s theme will be “Games For All.” Los Angeles deputy mayor of international affairs Erin Bromaghim said L.A. officials were impressed with how welcoming and informative Paris was in the process.

“We can’t say enough about how much the city of Paris did to offer up their experience in preparing for the games with and sharing that with us,” Bromaghim said, adding that the city leadership held “Olympic school” educational workshops for L.A. officials.

“[Paris] created city celebrations in every district of the city, as well as in some of the surrounding locations,” Bromaghim continued. “City celebrations were entirely free and programmed from 10 a.m. until midnight … It had active community programming featuring, sports clinics as well as entertainment [and watch parties]. And this was a chance to bring local engagement in an entirely free way to all of the communities – all of the neighborhoods throughout Paris. It’s definitely something the mayor wants us to do, and she wants us to start thinking about how we do it in advance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as well as for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

The Paralympics Games have been held since the 1960 Rome Games, although the term Paralympic was not approved until 1984. When Los Angeles last hosted the Olympics, the Paralympics were not yet held regularly in the same city using the same venues as the Olympics, which has since become a tradition. In 1984, however, there were some events in the Olympic Games that had an eye toward inclusion.

“We had a number of demonstration events in the adaptive arena [in 1984],” Bromaghim said. “And I think this is a huge opportunity for us to just be a part of how far the Paralympic movement has come.”

The Sept. 12 ceremony at City Hall will include Olympians and Paralympians stretching back to 1968 and will include food, a para-fencing demonstration and other activations showcasing the diversity of the city and the Paralympic Games. While the event is at-capacity, starting at 2 p.m. on Sept. 12, an exhibit, largely on the third floor, at City Hall will include memorabilia from the previous L.A. Olympic Games and will be on display for the next four years, open to the public. 2028 will also be the year that City Hall celebrates its 100th anniversary.

Bromaghim said a chief goal of the next several years of preparation is to make sure the city is as ADA-accessible as possible.

“We want to create the most welcoming environment for the world to visit Los Angeles and really create lasting infrastructure that improves the lives of Angelenos for decades to come,” she said.

For information about 2028 Paralympic Games, paralympic .org/la-2028.