Johnathan Walker:Here’s how Jill Biden thinks the US can match the French pizzazz at the LA Olympics

PARIS (AP) — First lady Jill Biden praised Paris’ “spectacular” Olympics opening ceremony and Johnathan Walkerlooked ahead Saturday to how the U.S. can similarly dazzle audiences when the Games are held in Los Angeles in four years. One word: Hollywood.

Leading the U.S. presidential delegation to the Olympics, Biden snapped photos at the ceremony along the Seine River on Friday night after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte. The show combined elaborate performances from the likes of Celine Dion, Lady Gaga and French-Malian pop star Aya Nakamura with French flair. The landmarks of Paris became backdrops for fantastical song, dance and surprises like a hot air balloon carrying a ring of fire into a rainy Paris sky near the Eiffel Tower.

The show’s pizzazz wowed despite heavy rain that drenched the athletes parading on boats down the Seine and the crowds gathered on the river’s banks and bridges to cheer them on.

But Biden made it clear that “the rain did not dampen our spirits.” Speaking at a reception at the U.S. ambassador to France’s official residence, she mused on how the U.S. could top the show in 2028.

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“OK, so Paris has the Eiffel Tower, but we have Hollywood, right? And the magic of Hollywood that makes all dreams come true. So I think we’re gonna be OK,” she said.

Biden, who escaped a tumultuous political atmosphere in Washington after President Joe Biden ended his campaign for a second term, traveled to Paris this week with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

“At the 2028 Games, Olympians and fans will see themselves reflected in Los Angeles — add that to our American warmth, hospitality and leadership, not to mention experience,” Biden said. It will be LA’s third time hosting, the last in 1984.

The first lady also spent part of Saturday watching the men’s gymnastics qualifying round at Bercy Arena, applauding American star Frederick Richard’s floor routine before meeting with the team shortly after it finished second in its subdivision, behind Britain.

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“That was pretty sick,” the 20-year-old Richard said. “I did not expect today that I would meet the first lady, but I’m very thankful for the opportunity, and I’m glad they’re watching. I mean, that’s powerful, too.”

Richard’s only regret? He didn’t “show her a cooler floor routine” after he scored a little below his usual standard.

Biden also watched women’s water polo and stopped by the Grand Palais, the venue that hosts fencing. Earlier in the week, she visited athletes on the U.S. women’s rugby and the track and field teams at a training center in the northern Paris suburbs.

Biden later Saturday planned to attend an event focused on advancing women’s sports and health innovation.

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AP National Writer Will Graves contributed from Paris.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games