How to Become an LA 2028 Olympic Sponsor and What It Actually Gets You
The Summer Olympics are coming back to Los Angeles for the first time since 1984. And with them comes one of the most significant brand marketing opportunities of the decade.
The 2028 Games — scheduled from July 21 to August 6 — are expected to draw billions of viewers, generate hundreds of billions of social media engagements, and flood Los Angeles with athletes, media, dignitaries, and fans from across the globe. For brands paying attention, this is not background noise. It's a once-in-a-generation platform.
But "sponsoring the Olympics" isn't as simple as writing a check and slapping your logo on a banner. There are multiple pathways, multiple governing bodies, and multiple tiers of investment — each with very different costs, benefits, and strategic implications.
This guide breaks down exactly how LA 28 sponsorships work, what each level costs, what you actually receive in return, and how brands of every size can build a meaningful presence around the 2028 Games — whether or not they ever sign an official partnership agreement.
The LA28 Games will run from July 21 to August 6, 2028, with opening ceremonies split between the LA Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium.
Why LA 28 Is Unlike Any Olympic Games Before It
Before exploring how to get in, it's worth understanding why this particular game is attracting so much brand interest.
A Privately Funded Model That Changes Everything
LA28 is organized on an unprecedented, privately funded model. Rather than relying heavily on public money, organizers have set a $2.5 billion domestic sponsorship revenue target. That financial structure means the organizing committee is highly motivated to sign partners at every tier — including levels below the massive Founding Partner deals that dominate headlines.
By late 2025, LA28 had secured over $2 billion in sponsorships, surpassing Paris 2024's total more than two years before the event. The pace of deal-making has accelerated sharply, with 12 new domestic sponsors signed in 2025 alone. That momentum matters if you're a brand trying to get in — categories fill up, and exclusivity is part of the value proposition.
The 7-Year Activation Runway Advantage
Most Olympic organizing committees get roughly seven years from selection to Games day. LA28 was awarded the rights in 2017, giving sponsors who signed early a marketing runway stretching across four separate Games: Beijing 2022, Paris 2024, Milan-Cortina 2026, and LA28 itself.
That extended timeline changes the math on sponsorship ROI considerably. Instead of amortizing a massive fee over a 17-day event, brands spread their investment across years of marketing activity, multiple Olympic moments, and a sustained association with Team USA. For brands that moved early, that's an exceptional deal. For brands entering now, the runway is shorter — but the momentum heading into LA28 is stronger than ever.
The Three Paths to an Official LA28 Sponsorship
There is no single way to become an "Olympic sponsor." Three distinct bodies manage different levels of sponsorship rights, and understanding the difference is essential before you pick up the phone.
LA28 sponsorships flow through three governing bodies — the IOC, USOPP, and the LA28 Organizing Committee — each offering different rights and territorial scope.
Path 1 — IOC TOP (The Olympic Partner) Programme
The TOP Programme is the pinnacle of Olympic sponsorship, created by the International Olympic Committee in 1985. TOP partners receive global marketing rights across all Olympic Games — summer and winter — for a four-year cycle. Current TOP partners include Coca-Cola, Alibaba, Deloitte, and others operating at a genuinely global scale.
For most brands, TOP is not a realistic entry point. Investment fees are reported in the range of $200 million or more per quadrennium, and categories are limited and already assigned. That said, following the expiration of several major TOP deals after Paris 2024 (including Toyota, Intel, Panasonic, and Bridgestone), the IOC actively sought new global partners heading into the LA28 cycle.
If your brand has a global marketing footprint and a budget to match, the IOC is the contact: olympics.com/ioc/marketing/partners is the official starting point.
Path 2 — USOPP / Team USA Sponsorship
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Properties (USOPP) is a joint commercial venture between the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and LA28. USOPP manages domestic sponsorship rights for Team USA and the Games, giving brands the ability to associate with American athletes competing across multiple Olympic cycles.
A USOPP partnership includes rights to promote your sponsorship of Team USA at Milan-Cortina 2026 and LA28, making it an attractive multi-event package. For domestic brands focused on U.S. audiences, this is often the most strategic entry point.
The LA28/NBC partnership created a unique bundled model here: higher-tier USOPP sponsors receive a portion of their investment back as NBC broadcast media credit — historically unprecedented in Olympic marketing. That media credit (reportedly 30-40% of fees at the top tier) substantially changes the effective cost of the deal.
Path 3 — LA28 OCOG Domestic Sponsorship
The LA28 Organizing Committee manages its own commercial programs — distinct from both the IOC TOP and USOPP programs — to fund the staging of the Games themselves. These domestic partnerships are limited to U.S. territory marketing rights and are structured in tiers.
This is where most brands entering the LA28 ecosystem will operate. Three tiers are offered, ranging from Founding Partnerships down to official suppliers and service providers.
LA 28 Sponsorship Tiers: What Each Level Costs and What You Get
Honda, Google, Starbucks, T-Mobile, and Delta are among the Founding Partners who have committed at or near the $200 million mark.
Founding Partners (~$200 Million)
The top tier of LA28 OCOG sponsorship. Founding Partners — a group that currently includes Honda, Google, Starbucks, T-Mobile, Delta, and Comcast/NBC — have reportedly committed nearly $200 million each. When activation spend is factored in (industry standard is roughly a 1:1 ratio of rights fees to activation budget), the true all-in investment approaches $400 million or more.
What brands at this level receive:
Maximum category exclusivity
Full IP rights across LA28, Team USA, and multi-Games access
Priority hospitality and venue placement
Significant NBC media inventory (bundled into the deal)
Naming rights to certain Olympic venues (a first for LA28, approved by the IOC in 2025)
Visibility across both the Olympic and Paralympic Games
This tier is effectively closed for new entrants in most categories.
Official Partners / Domestic Supporters ($50 Million–$150 Million)
The middle tier of the domestic program represents the most active area of LA28's commercial expansion. Brands such as Cedars-Sinai, Cisco, Dick's Sporting Goods, Autodesk, Ralph Lauren, Oakley, and Michelob ULTRA operate in this range.
At this level, sponsors receive:
Category exclusivity within the U.S. territory
Rights to use official LA28 and Team USA marks in marketing
Access to hospitality packages and priority tickets
Co-branding opportunities within the Games
Participation in the Olympic Torch Relay and cultural programming
Media support and joint marketing opportunities with LA28
Cost at this tier varies significantly based on category, competition within that category, and timing of signing. Brands entering closer to the Games typically pay higher fees for a shrinking runway.
Official Suppliers and Service Providers (Lower Entry Points)
Not every Olympic partnership requires nine-figure investments. Official supplier and service provider categories exist for brands contributing goods, services, or technology to the Games operation itself. Sunbelt Rentals, Saatva, Snowflake, and Fanatics represent this tier.
In exchange for providing products or services, supplier-level brands receive:
Designation as an "Official [Product/Service] of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games"
Rights to use limited Olympic marks in marketing
Visibility within specific Games environments
B2B credibility and media coverage value
For companies in event technology, logistics, hospitality, staffing, security, healthcare, and similar service sectors, the supplier pathway is genuinely accessible — and highly valuable for brand positioning in a competitive market.
What Olympic Sponsors Actually Receive
The benefits of an official partnership go well beyond a logo on a website. Here is a clear breakdown of what brands actually receive when they sign with LA28.
Marketing Rights and IP Access
The most fundamental benefit is legal permission to use the Olympic rings and official LA28 marks in your advertising, packaging, retail promotions, and digital campaigns. Without an official partnership, brands are prohibited from any association with Olympic IP — a restriction enforced vigorously by the IOC.
For consumer brands, this means the ability to run "Official Partner of the LA 28 Olympic Games" campaigns in print, digital, out-of-home, and broadcast — a designation that carries significant consumer trust and attention.
Media Value and NBC Broadcast Integration
Paris 2024 averaged 32 million viewers per day across NBC's digital and linear broadcast, with 412 billion total engagements with Olympic content on social media. With the majority of LA28's key competitions scheduled during U.S. prime time, broadcast numbers are projected to exceed those of Paris.
The LA28/NBC partnership created a model where higher-tier domestic sponsors receive substantial media credit, effectively subsidizing campaign spend with inventory in the world's most-watched sports broadcast. This is structurally unprecedented and significantly improves traditional Olympic sponsorship ROI calculations.
Hospitality, Tickets, and VIP Access
Official partners receive priority access to hospitality packages and face-value ticket purchasing for Games events. On Location — the official hospitality partner — is managing premium packages for 2028. For sponsors with high-value clients or employee engagement programs, exclusive Olympic hospitality is a distinct category benefit with no comparable alternative in commercial sports marketing.
Naming Rights and Venue Branding (New for 2028)
In a historic first, the IOC approved LA28's proposal to sell naming rights for Olympic venues in August 2025. This opens a new layer of commercial visibility that did not exist at any previous Olympics. For brands seeking large-scale geographic presence across Los Angeles venues, naming rights integration is now a real asset within select partnership packages.
Category Exclusivity
Perhaps the most commercially valuable asset: guaranteed exclusivity within your product or service category. Your direct competitor cannot use Olympic marks, run Olympics-adjacent advertising, or appear within Games venues. In highly competitive categories, that competitive shutout alone can justify significant investment.
How to Start the Sponsorship Process — Step by Step
There is no public application form to become an LA28 sponsor. The process is negotiation-based, relationship-driven, and can take months to years to conclude. Here is how to approach it practically.
Step 1 — Define Your Business Case First
Before reaching out to anyone, answer one question with specificity: What measurable business outcomes would justify this investment? Successful Olympic sponsors build their sponsorship strategy around existing business goals — revenue targets, brand metric shifts, employee engagement objectives, or retail expansion plans. Brands that approach LA28 with a clear ROI hypothesis negotiate better deals and activate more effectively.
Industry analysts recommend evaluating historical marketing outcomes from prior Olympic sponsors in your business category before setting a budget. If brands in your space haven't extracted clear value from Olympic partnerships, understand why — before committing.
Step 2 — Identify the Right Sponsorship Body
Based on your category, geography, and goals:
Global brands with global distribution: Start with IOC TOP inquiry at olympics.com
U.S.-focused brands wanting Team USA association: Contact USOPP through the USOPC
Brands focused on the LA28 Games specifically: Contact LA28 commercial partnerships at la28.org/en/our-partners.html
For supplier and service categories, LA28's official website is the appropriate starting point, with direct outreach to the commercial partnerships team.
Step 3 — Reach Out Through the Right Channels
LA28's official commercial partnerships team can be contacted through la28.org. Industry sports marketing agencies — such as rEvolution, Wasserman, and IMG — also serve as intermediaries who can facilitate introductions and advise on negotiation strategy.
Given the multi-year timelines involved, the earlier you initiate contact, the better your leverage. As of early 2026, most major categories for the top two tiers are filled or in advanced negotiation. Supplier and service categories still have meaningful availability.
Step 4 — Negotiate What Actually Matters
A signed partnership is only the beginning. The most important variables to negotiate are: the specific marks you're licensed to use, territorial scope, hospitality allocations, media inventory value, activation rights within venue environments, and what protection your category exclusivity actually covers. Contracts can take months to finalize. Expert legal counsel with Olympic marketing experience is strongly advised.
Smarter Alternatives If You're Not Spending $50 Million
Official Olympic sponsorship is not the only way to build meaningful brand presence around the 2028 Games. Here are the most effective alternatives for brands at every budget level.
Athlete Sponsorship and NIL Deals
Olympic athletes now have significantly more commercial freedom than in previous Games cycles, following IOC rule changes that loosened restrictions on athlete-driven social media content during the Games. Brands can partner with individual athletes across virtually any budget range — from five-figure deals with emerging competitors to multimillion-dollar arrangements with marquee names.
Athletes like those who broke out from Milan-Cortina 2026 are now building their profiles in advance of LA28, and the window to establish these relationships at favorable economics is open now. By the time the Games begin, elite athletes' commercial value will peak, and deals become far more expensive and competitive.
Sponsor an Olympic Sport's National Governing Body (NGB)
Every Olympic sport has a National Governing Body in the U.S. — USA Track & Field, USA Swimming, US Lacrosse (newly elevated with lacrosse's addition to the LA28 program), and others. NGB sponsorships are significantly more affordable than LA28 OCOG deals, offer targeted audience alignment, and include rights to associate with Team USA athletes within that sport.
For brands in fitness, wellness, youth sports equipment, or health-adjacent categories, an NGB partnership often delivers a stronger ROI than a broad Olympic association at a fraction of the cost.
Unofficial Olympic-Adjacent Activations in Los Angeles
Brands that cannot or choose not to pursue official sponsorship can still build a powerful presence in Los Angeles during the Games through experiential marketing, hospitality events, pop-ups, fan zone programming, and hotel and venue takeovers — none of which require Olympic IP.
This approach — sometimes called "ambush-adjacent" or "non-official activation" — has a long and successful track record. The key is not implying an official connection to the Olympics. Brands activate around the energy and traffic the Games generate without using protected marks or claiming official status.
During a period when millions of visitors will flood Los Angeles and corporate hospitality events will run continuously from July through August 2028, creative brand activations can generate enormous consumer exposure with none of the regulatory constraints of official partnerships.
Vendor and Supplier Pathways
LA28, its official partners, and the thousands of hospitality and event activations that will surround the Games all require vendors: catering, security, transportation, event production, staffing, décor, technology, and logistics. Becoming an approved vendor in the Games ecosystem — either directly with LA28 or through its partners — can generate significant business revenue and brand visibility without formal sponsorship investment.
The Activation Gap: Why Your Sponsorship Is Only Half the Investment
Here is what most sponsorship guides fail to address: signing the deal is only the beginning. The return on an Olympic sponsorship is almost entirely determined by how well a brand activates its rights — and activation requires flawless, scalable, on-the-ground execution.
On-the-Ground Execution Is Where Brands Win or Lose
Official partners have the legal right to use Olympic marks and claim category exclusivity. But the brands that win in consumers' minds are the ones that translate those rights into tangible experiences — engaging brand activations, staffed fan zones, immersive hospitality suites, product demonstrations at venue perimeters, and memorable brand touchpoints throughout the city.
A brand ambassador who can't answer product questions, a registration desk that's understaffed at peak traffic, or a hospitality event where service falls short of the premium positioning — these are the activation failures that define what consumers actually remember.
How Professional Event Staffing Supports Olympic Brand Activations
Whether you're running an official partner activation inside a Games venue or an independent brand experience in downtown Los Angeles, the quality of your people determines the quality of your brand impression.
Elev8.la serves as a preferred staffing partner for the LA 2028 Olympic Games, providing elite brand ambassadors, event greeters, promotional models, registration staff, and hospitality teams for Olympic sponsors and their associated activations across Los Angeles. With over 10,000 events staffed since 1990 and exclusive relationships with brands including Nike, Versace, The Academy, and Netflix, the team brings the operational depth that large-scale Olympic activations demand.
For brands activating around LA28 — at any budget level — brand ambassador services in Los Angeles and event staffing for large-scale activations are worth planning as early as the sponsorship itself. The best staff, like the best sponsorship categories, get allocated well in advance.
Trained brand ambassadors and event staff bring Olympic sponsor activations to life across Los Angeles fan zones, hospitality suites, and brand experiences.
Is an LA 28 Sponsorship Right for Your Brand?
Before you commit to any level of Olympic involvement, ask these questions honestly.
Questions to Ask Before Signing Anything
Can you clearly articulate the business outcomes this sponsorship will drive, and how you'll measure them?
Do you have an activation budget equal to or greater than your rights fee?
Does your category have genuine marketing advantages from Olympic association (consumer goods, hospitality, technology, mobility, health)?
Can your team manage the regulatory complexity of Olympic IP — the Clean Venue Guidelines, Rule 40 limitations, and mark usage restrictions?
Do you have the internal resources or agency support to activate across a multi-year runway?
If the answer to most of these is no, official Olympic sponsorship — at any tier — is likely not the right investment right now.
Who Should Seriously Consider It
Official LA28 partnership makes the strongest strategic sense for:
Consumer brands in categories where the Olympic association drives measurable purchase intent and retail support (beverages, apparel, technology, insurance, financial services)
B2B brands that use premium hospitality as a core client engagement strategy
Regional LA brands seeking to use the Games as a national brand-building moment
Service providers who can structure a deal around contributed services with a strong media return
Companies entering or expanding in the U.S. market that need a high-profile platform for launch visibility
For brands outside these categories, the athlete sponsorship, NGB, and non-official activation routes typically offer more efficient paths to Olympic-adjacent exposure.
Final Thoughts
The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics represent one of the most commercially compelling moments in sports marketing history. The combination of U.S. prime-time broadcast, an unprecedented media bundling model, venue naming rights, and the raw excitement of the Games returning to American soil for the first time since 2002 creates a genuinely unusual window.
But Olympic sponsorship is not for every brand, and even the right brands fail when they treat the rights fee as the finish line rather than the starting block. The brands that will define LA28 in consumers' memories are the ones activating brilliantly — with trained, professional teams bringing their brand promises to life across every fan zone, hospitality suite, and experiential touchpoint.
If you're building your brand's presence around the 2028 Games — officially or otherwise — explore Eleven8's event staffing and brand ambassador services designed specifically for Olympic sponsor activations in Los Angeles. The Games are closer than you think. And the planning starts now.
