Tuesday marks the two year point from the opening ceremony of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles as the symbolic countdown to the biggest Games to date now shows 731 days until a new round of gold, silver and bronze hardware changes hands — as the immense work behind the scenes continues.
Some of the more public facing benchmarks have their defining beacons, with a new round of ticket drops slated for next month, volunteer applications opening today, venue naming rights available for the first time in Olympics history and a reloaded roster of corporate sponsors in the mix.
For LA28 organizers, commemorating the two year mark meant taking the first steps to fill the 60,000 roles of volunteers who will serve as the bulk of the workforce that will cover more than 20 venues that will be the “backbone” of the Games.
“In 2028, the world’s attention will be on LA as the world’s best athletes make history, but it’s the crew behind the scenes that help make those moments possible,” said Reynold Hoover, LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover said. “Their impact cannot be overstated — behind every event, every venue and every moment will be the LA28 Volunteer Crew, ready and eager to play a vital role in the delivery of the LA28 Games.”
The roles will be available in eight categories, including communications, driving, experience, medical, ceremonies, operations, sport and technology with some jobs requiring specialized skills like medical and language translation.
It’s just one of several key areas that LA28 organizers want solidified far in advance as demand for the Games becomes clear as a new round of ticket sales is set to begin next month. Around 4 million tickets were sold in the first release in the spring with half of a promised one million $28 tickets going to Los Angeles area residents with buyers from 85 countries and all 50 states.
The roster of headline sponsors for the Games is mostly set, with JPMorganChase signing on in April as the first-ever banking partner of the Olympics, joining AB InBev, Airbnb, Alibaba, Allianz, Deloitte, Coca-Cola, Omega, Procter & Gamble, Samsung, Visa and TCL as lead partners.
Meanwhile, in another first for the Olympics, venues are now eligible for naming rights with bids for at least 20 sites up for grabs including the Intuit Dome, BMO Stadium and Crypto.com Arena. Honda will retain its existing naming rights to the arena in Anaheim that will host volleyball, while Comcast signed on to be attached to the venue that will house squash events.
