LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games: How Southern California Can Prepare and Participate
LA28 Opportunities: How Southern California Can Prepare for 2028
LA28 will be the largest Olympic and Paralympic Games in history. The Games will feature 51 sports, including five new sports added to the Olympic program.
There will be 353 medal events, 24 more than Paris 2024, and more than 11,000 athletes competing from around the world.
For the first time in Olympic history, there will be more women competing than men. When the world arrives in Los Angeles in 2028, it will witness the first Olympic Games where women athletes outnumber men.
The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games are coming to Southern California and across the country in 2028, but the opportunities surrounding the Games are already taking shape in your communities right now.
Cities and communities are preparing right now. Athletes are training. Businesses, nonprofits, sporting organizations and community groups are exploring how they can participate. International visitors are beginning to plan their trips, and relationships and partnerships are being developed throughout the region.
While many people think of the Olympics as a sporting event that takes place over a few weeks, the impact of LA28 extends far beyond the competition schedule.
For Southern California, the journey to LA28 includes opportunities involving community engagement, hospitality, tourism, workforce development, strategic partnerships, cultural programming, event operations, volunteering and professional services.
The important question isn't simply, "What will happen in 2028?" It's how can we participate now?
LA28 Is Bigger Than the Competition Venues
The Olympic and Paralympic movement is made up of a vast ecosystem of international organizations, national governing bodies, community organizations, businesses, sponsors, volunteers, media partners, and local leaders.
LA28 is one part of a network that includes international and national sporting organizations, cities, sponsors, businesses, nonprofits, community organizations, volunteers, media partners, cultural organizations and local leaders.
That distinction matters because you don't have to be an Olympic athlete, coach or LA28 employee to participate in the Olympic movement.
Opportunities can develop through cities, local sporting organizations, nonprofits, community initiatives, hospitality programs, cultural events, businesses and partnerships throughout Southern California.
For organizations considering how they might participate, understanding this broader ecosystem is an important first step.
How Can You Participate in LA28?
There isn't one pathway into LA28.
Depending on your interests, profession or organization, participation might mean attending the Games, volunteering, supporting athletes, participating through a sporting organization, welcoming international visitors, attending community celebrations or exploring professional and business opportunities.
Some of the ways Southern Californians can participate include:
Attending Olympic and Paralympic events
Volunteering before or during the Games
Participating through sporting organizations and clubs
Supporting community and cultural celebrations
Welcoming international athletes and visitors
Exploring hospitality and tourism opportunities
Building community and nonprofit partnerships
Exploring business and professional opportunities
For sailing and waterfront communities, the Games offer another important connection. Southern California's boating community already has extensive experience with regattas, race management, hospitality, volunteering and waterfront events—skills and relationships that can contribute to major international sporting events.
Tickets, Hospitality and Experiencing the Games
For many people, purchasing tickets will be the most direct way to experience the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
But individual event tickets are only one part of the experience.
As LA28 approaches, there will also be opportunities involving hospitality, group experiences, community celebrations, fan experiences and events taking place outside competition venues.
Businesses, clubs, nonprofits and other organizations should begin thinking about how they may want to experience the Games—whether that means attending an event, organizing a group outing, entertaining clients or participating in community activities.
Because ticketing and hospitality information will continue to evolve as the Games approach, interested spectators and organizations should follow official LA28 announcements for the latest information.
Volunteering and the LA28 Olympic Movement
Volunteers are an essential part of major sporting events.
Southern California residents already involved with yacht clubs, regattas, youth sports, nonprofits and community organizations may have experience that translates particularly well to Olympic and Paralympic activities.
Skills involving hospitality, boating and maritime operations, languages, accessibility, leadership, event operations, technology, customer service and community engagement may all be valuable as volunteer opportunities develop.
Volunteering also extends beyond Games-time assignments. Community organizations, sporting organizations and local events provide opportunities to participate in the broader Olympic movement before 2028.
LA28 Community Engagement and Celebrate 28
One of the most significant opportunities surrounding LA28 is the potential for the Games to create an impact beyond sporting venues.
Celebrate 28 is designed to encourage community participation and extend the impact of the Games throughout Southern California.
Areas of focus include expanding access to youth sports and recreation, supporting economic opportunity and helping create healthier and more connected communities.
This creates opportunities for nonprofits, businesses, sporting organizations, community groups and other local organizations to consider how their existing programs and expertise might connect with the Olympic and Paralympic movement.
Community celebrations, youth programs, cultural events, watch parties and local partnerships can all help bring the Games into neighborhoods throughout the region.
Country Houses: Bringing the World to Southern California
One of the lesser-known aspects of the Olympic experience is the tradition of Country Houses.
Country Houses are hospitality and cultural spaces associated with participating nations during the Games. They can become gathering places for athletes, visitors, sponsors, business leaders, media and local communities.
Depending on the country and location, these spaces may feature cultural programming, cuisine, networking opportunities, viewing events, celebrations, business activities and athlete appearances.
Country Houses are important because they extend the Olympic experience beyond competition venues.
They can also create connections to local hospitality, tourism, cultural organizations, businesses, nonprofits and communities.
As international delegations establish their presence throughout Southern California, the Olympic experience has the potential to spread well beyond individual stadiums and arenas.
Southern California Communities Are Already Preparing for LA28
Community involvement in LA28 isn't something that begins with the Opening Ceremony.
Cities and organizations throughout Southern California are considering cultural programming, public art, hospitality, sporting events, transportation, community celebrations and other initiatives associated with welcoming the world in 2028.
Some opportunities are already emerging.
For example, cities are beginning to explore arts and cultural programming connected to the Games through public opportunities for artists, performers and community organizations.
Over the next two years, additional opportunities are likely to emerge through cities, community organizations, sporting organizations, cultural institutions and other partners.
For businesses and organizations, this makes the period leading up to LA28 particularly important.
LA28 Business and Professional Opportunities
When people think about the Olympic and Paralympic Games, they naturally think about athletes, volunteers and spectators.
But major international events also require an enormous network of professionals, businesses, nonprofits and community organizations.
Areas that can support major events include:
Consulting and professional services
Strategic partnerships
Project and program management
Event planning and production
Hospitality and tourism
Transportation and logistics
Marketing and communications
Workforce development
Community engagement
Cultural and community activations
Event operations
Formal procurement opportunities will be one pathway for businesses interested in LA28, but they aren't the only pathway.
Many conversations happening throughout Southern California are also centered on partnerships, community engagement, operational planning and collaboration.
That means organizations should be thinking not only about what contracts might become available, but also about what relationships they should be developing now.
Three Questions Organizations Should Ask About LA28
Whether you're a business owner, nonprofit leader, chamber of commerce, educational institution, hospitality organization, consultant or community leader, now is a good time to begin thinking about your organization's potential role.
Start with three questions:
1. How could our organization support visitors, organizations, communities or events surrounding LA28?
Consider your existing capabilities rather than trying to invent an entirely new service for the Olympics.
2. What expertise, resources or relationships do we already have that could contribute?
Major events require expertise across dozens of industries and disciplines.
3. What partnerships should we be building now?
Relationships established before an opportunity appears can help organizations understand emerging needs, identify collaborators and become part of the broader ecosystem surrounding the Games.
LA28 may take place in 2028, but Olympic preparation is happening now.
Preparing Your Organization for LA28
The Olympic and Paralympic Games represent an extraordinary moment for Southern California.
For some people, participation will mean buying a ticket.
For others, it will mean volunteering, welcoming international visitors, supporting a local celebration, participating through a sporting organization or developing a new professional relationship.
And for businesses, nonprofits and community organizations, LA28 creates an opportunity to think strategically about how their expertise, people and partnerships could contribute to one of the world's largest international events.
The organizations that prepare early will have more time to understand the landscape, develop relationships and determine where they can create meaningful value.
The question isn't whether LA28 is coming.
The question is: What role do you want to play?
LA28 Readiness, Strategic Partnerships & Community Engagement
Marketing Edge Events helps businesses, nonprofits, chambers of commerce, educational institutions, hospitality organizations and community groups prepare for major events and identify opportunities for participation.
Our work includes:
Consulting • Strategic Partnerships • LA28 Readiness • Community Engagement • Event Operations
We help organizations understand the evolving major-event landscape, identify potential partnerships, connect their existing capabilities to emerging opportunities and develop strategies for participating in major events throughout Southern California.
Laura Baker-RoweFounder & Principal | Marketing Edge Events
Whether you're beginning to explore what LA28 could mean for your organization or already developing plans for 2028, now is the time to start the conversation.
Visit Marketing Edge Events to learn more about LA28 readiness, strategic partnerships, community engagement and event operations.
Comments