Councilmember Hutt joins Olympics watch party in Koreatown

A watch party for the Paris Olympics opening ceremony was underway Friday in a part of Los Angeles with a special connection to Olympics history.

Councilmember Heather Hutt joined the party at the Koreatown Senior and Community Center on Normandie Ave., just north of Olympic Blvd.

“The square right at Olympic was named after Dr Sammy Lee, who is a Korean Olympian who won a gold medal,” Hutt told KNX News’ Craig Fiegener. “It was very different for him to even be able to get in the pools back then. They made him wait until the janitors were there to practice his diving, and he won that gold medal, and that shows the perseverance.”

Hutt said the watch party helped generate even more excitement for L.A. to host the Olympics in 2028. She said she’s already working to prepare her district’s businesses and infrastructure for the influx of visitors the Games will bring.

“The 10th district is the tapestry of Los Angeles where I have Koreatown, Little Bangladesh, Mid-city, I have Little Ethiopia and I have Leimert Park, all this culture,” Hutt said. “We want people to come visit, and so we want our businesses ready for that kind of tourism.”

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Mayor Karen Bass traveled to Paris as part of the presidential delegation to the opening ceremony, where she was slated to meet with the Paris mayor to discuss what preparations were made for the event.

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