ASU launches Center for Olympic Studies with inaugural Olympic insights report

Insights highlight how technology, partnerships, and athlete development are reshaping the Olympic movement.

TEMPE, Ariz., Aug. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Arizona State University has launched its new Center for Olympic Studies at the W. P. Carey School of Business, marking the occasion with the release of its inaugural Olympic Insights Brief ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Housed within the W. P. Carey School of Business, the center — one of only three U.S. members of the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Studies and Research Centres network — will bring together faculty and students to examine the evolving Olympic movement through research, education, and industry engagement. The Olympic Insights Brief explores how technology, evolving sponsorship models, athlete development systems, and global storytelling are reshaping the future of the Games. The inaugural release establishes the center as a thought leader on the evolving Olympic movement.

"The Olympic movement touches nearly every aspect of society, from business and technology to media, public policy, and community impact," said Amy Ostrom, vice dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business, PetSmart Chair in Services Leadership, and President's Professor. "The Center for Olympic Studies creates opportunities for our faculty and students to explore those connections while fostering deep connections across the global Olympic ecosystem."

"The Olympics are no longer just about sport," said Daniel McIntosh, director of ASU's Center for Olympic Studies and faculty director of Sports Business at the W. P. Carey School of Business. "They've become a living laboratory where business, technology, media, education, and culture intersect. Our inaugural report reflects the kind of interdisciplinary thought leadership the center was created to advance as we look toward LA28."

The report examines several forces transforming the Olympic movement and offers insights into how organizations, athletes, sponsors, and host cities can prepare for the future. The report concludes that future Olympic success — whether for athletes, organizations, sponsors, or host cities — depends less on size or scale alone than on how effectively systems, partnerships, and technologies work together.

The report reflects the center's interdisciplinary approach, drawing on expertise from faculty across business, history, media, data science, and public policy, as well as firsthand observations from the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. During the Games, students engaged directly with Olympic partners, including Visa, Coca-Cola, Allianz, Samsung, NBC, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, gaining behind-the-scenes exposure to sponsorship strategy and activation, media operations, hospitality, and global fan engagement.

With the Summer Olympics returning to the United States for the first time in more than 30 years, LA28 also presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for ASU students to engage directly with the Olympic movement through research, experiential learning, and industry partnerships.

Key findings from the report include:

• Olympic sponsorships are shifting from transactional branding toward long-term partnerships focused on shared value and integration.
• AI is rapidly becoming part of the Olympic "operating system," influencing broadcasting, fan engagement, logistics, judging, and athlete performance analysis.
• The U.S. college athletics system continues to serve as a primary Olympic pipeline, while raising questions about access, commercialization, and sustainability.
• Women's sports continue to face disparities in media visibility and sponsorship despite increased participation and performance.
• Host cities are increasingly serving as global storytelling platforms that shape how nations and communities are perceived worldwide.

"The United States has a unique Olympic development system that relies heavily on colleges and universities," said Victoria Jackson, clinical associate professor of history at ASU and a faculty member associated with the university's Center for Olympic Studies. "As college athletics continues to evolve, LA 2028 offers an opportunity to examine how those changes may shape the future of Olympic sport and athlete development."

Looking ahead to LA28, the center will continue to produce research, convene interdisciplinary experts, create experiential learning opportunities for students, and explore how business, technology, media, and sport continue to shape the Olympic movement.

"The Olympics demonstrate how complex organizations succeed when business, technology, partnerships, and leadership work together," said Ohad Kadan, Charles J. Robel Dean and W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair in Business. "Those lessons extend far beyond sport and offer valuable insights for leaders across industries."

The full Spring 2026 Olympic Insights Brief is available online.

About the ASU Center for Olympic Studies
The ASU Center for Olympic Studies, housed in the W. P. Carey School of Business, is part of the International Olympic Committee's global network of Olympic Studies and Research Centres, which advance research and education related to the Olympic movement. The center brings together faculty and students across disciplines to examine the intersection of business, technology, media, public policy, and sport while preparing students to navigate the evolving global Olympic landscape.

About the W. P. Carey School of Business
The W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University is the largest and one of the top-ranked public business schools in the United States. The school is internationally recognized for its programs and the research productivity of its distinguished faculty. Students come from more than 120 countries, and over 130,000 alumni represent W. P. Carey worldwide.

For more information/media contact:
Shay Moser
W. P. Carey School of Business
[email protected]

SOURCE W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University