Olympic organizers for the 2028 games in Los Angeles plan to sell the naming rights for competition venues, marking a first in Olympic history.
The organizing committee for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, LA28, has made history by launching the first-ever venue naming rights program in Olympic and Paralympic history. This groundbreaking initiative allows the sale of temporary naming rights to competition venues, a change made possible by new International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules.
In this program, two venues have already been named: the Comcast Squash Center at Universal Studios and the Honda Center in Anaheim, which will host indoor volleyball. This move is part of LA28’s strategy to privately fund the Games without new build costs and to generate revenue through commercial partnerships, with a target of $2.5 billion, the largest commercial revenue raise in sports history.
Companies with existing venue naming rights, such as SoFi Stadium and Crypto.com Arena, will have the opportunity to maintain these rights during the Games. Honda, an LA28 sponsor, already has the naming rights for the Anaheim, California, arena hosting volleyball. Comcast will have its name on the temporary squash venue in the LA28 Games.
LA28 Chairperson and President Casey Wasserman highlighted the program as a groundbreaking partnership model that benefits the entire Olympic Movement and helps raise critical funds under a fully privately funded model without new construction. The program also represents a significant commercial innovation facilitated by the IOC’s updated policies and the US context where the government does not directly fund the Games.
Wasserman stated that these groundbreaking partnerships will generate revenue beyond what is already budgeted. He also mentioned that this change delivers on their promise to reimagine the Games.
The Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles will host boxing and weightlifting in the LA28 Games, as previously announced. "Clean venue" policies that prohibit advertising on the field of play will still be in effect. Naming opportunities are available for IOC sponsorship partners and LA28 partners for Games venues.
This new commercial model is intended to benefit the entire Olympic movement, introducing a new way to generate revenue for future Games. LA28 organizers announced this landmark change in their statement on Thursday, aiming to support the largest commercial revenue raise in sports history.
The Groundbreaking Venue Naming Rights Program initiated by LA28 for the 2028 Los Angeles Games also includes the naming of the Peacock Theater, which will host boxing and weightlifting, providing an opportunity for sponsors to secure naming rights. This program, facilitated by the US context where the government does not fund the Games, aims to benefit the entire Olympic Movement and introduce a new way to generate revenue for future Games.
