#United States #Tempe #ASU #LA28 #Olympic Studies

Arizona State University Introduces the Center for Olympic Studies

Arizona State University (ASU) has recently established a pioneering Center for Olympic Studies at the W.P. Carey School of Business. This strategic move coincides with the release of their inaugural Olympic Insights Brief, which provides a comprehensive examination of the transformations occurring within the Olympic landscape just ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

This center occupies a unique position as one of only three U.S. members in the International Olympic Committee's network of Olympic Studies and Research Centers. It aims to gather faculty and students to delve into the multivariate facets of the Olympic movement through innovative research, educational outreach, and engagement with the industry.

The Olympic Insights Brief emphasizes how technology, evolving sponsorship paradigms, athlete development practices, and global storytelling methodologies are redefining the future of the Games. By releasing this initial report, the center seeks to position itself as a thought leader in the ongoing evolution of the Olympic movement.

Amy Ostrom, the vice dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business, points out that the Olympic movement influences various sectors, including business, technology, media, public policy, and community engagement. She asserts, "The Center for Olympic Studies opens avenues for our faculty and students to explore these connections while fostering profound relations within the global Olympic ecosystem."

Daniel McIntosh, who directs ASU's Center for Olympic Studies, notes that the Olympics transcend mere sports. He articulates that they serve as a dynamic laboratory where disciplines like business, technology, media, education, and culture converge. The inaugural report encapsulates the interdisciplinary thought leadership crucial for the future trajectory leading up to LA28.

The insights found within the report illuminate various forces impacting the Olympic movement, advising organizations, athletes, sponsors, and host cities on how to strategize for future successes. It concludes that achieving success in the Olympics will hinge less on sheer size and more on optimizing the synergies among systems, partnerships, and technologies in use.

Moreover, the report represents the center's interdisciplinary ethos, drawing expertise from a wide-ranging faculty encompassing disciplines such as business, history, media, data science, and public policy. It integrates firsthand observations derived from the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, where students gained invaluable behind-the-scenes experiences interacting directly with Olympic partners like Visa, Coca-Cola, Allianz, Samsung, NBC, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. These interactions provided insights into intricate aspects such as sponsorship strategy, media operations, hospitality, and global fan engagement.

With the 2028 Summer Olympics marking the first return to the U.S. in over three decades, this event affords ASU students a singular chance to engage hands-on with the Olympic movement through extensive research, experiential learning, and collaborative industry partnerships.

Key highlights from the report include:

• - A notable shift in Olympic sponsorships from conventional transactional branding towards long-standing partnerships emphasizing shared values and integrated strategies.
• - The rapid incorporation of Artificial Intelligence into the Olympic framework, drastically reshaping broadcasting, fan interaction, logistics, and performance analytics for athletes.
• - The U.S. collegiate athletics system continues to be a significant pipeline for Olympic athletes, raising critical discussions about accessibility, commercialization, and sustainable practices.
• - Despite an upsurge in participation and performance, women's sports still encounter significant discrepancies in media visibility and sponsorship opportunities.
• - Host cities are increasingly evolving into platforms for global storytelling that influence how nations and communities are portrayed on the world stage.

As Victoria Jackson, clinical associate professor of history at ASU and a contributor to the Center's mission, highlights, the U.S. has a uniquely structured Olympic development system relying largely on its colleges and universities. With the evolution of college athletics, LA28 presents an opportunity to scrutinize how these shifts may transform the future landscape of Olympic sports and athlete development.

Looking towards LA28, the Center promises to persevere in producing insightful research, convening interdisciplinary experts, and crafting experiential opportunities for students to navigate how business, technology, media, and sports converge and continue to shape the Olympic narrative.

As Ohad Kadan, dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business, articulates, the complexities witnessed in successful Olympic organizations can offer invaluable insights for leaders across various industries, emphasizing that collaboration among business, technology, partnerships, and leadership is paramount for success.

For more detailed insights, the complete Spring 2026 Olympic Insights Brief is accessible online, showcasing the center's commitment to unraveling the contemporary Olympic landscape.

About the ASU Center for Olympic Studies

Based within the W. P. Carey School of Business, the ASU Center for Olympic Studies is part of the International Olympic Committee's global network aimed at advancing research and education concerning the Olympic movement. It cultivates collaboration among faculty and students from various disciplines to explore the intersections of business, technology, media, public policy, and sports, fostering readiness for the evolving global Olympic arena.

About W. P. Carey School of Business

The W. P. Carey School of Business at ASU stands as one of the largest and highly-ranked public business schools in the U.S. Noteworthy for its esteemed programs and robust faculty research output, the school accommodates students from over 120 countries and boasts a broad network of over 130,000 alumni globally.