‘No-car Games’: Los Angeles readies for its 2028 Olympics closeup

As the Olympics came to a close this weekend, stars gathered from Paris to Long Beach to help mark the end of this year's events and usher in the 2028 games, which are set to take place in Los Angeles.

In a closing ceremony this weekend, the R&B artist HER sang the national anthem in Paris where Tom Cruise rappelled from the roof of the Stade de France and the actor, Simone Biles and the LA mayor, Karen Bass, took part in a flag hand-off. In southern California, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish and Snoop Dogg performed on the beach.

"This is the biggest moment in LA28 history to date, as the Olympic flag passes from Paris to LA," Casey Wasserman, the LA28 chairperson and president, said in a statement.

Bass and other city and county officials attended the Games in Paris as part of the preparation for the 2028 Olympics.

Los Angeles will host the Games for a third time in July 2028 - having previously held events in 1932 and 1984. The city has been preparing for years, adding thousands of hotel rooms, modifying existing venues for the games and expanding transit options.

Transit is a key element of the city's planning, and Bass has said that the 2028 Olympics will be "no-car Games".

"We're already working to create jobs by expanding our public transportation system in order for us to have a no-car Games," Bass said. "And that's a feat for Los Angeles, as we've always been in love with our cars. We're working to ensure that we can build a greener Los Angeles."