LA28 launches licensing programme to help Los Angeles small businesses

The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games organising committee has launched Made for Two-Eight, a licensing programme that will allow eligible small businesses in Los Angeles County to produce and sell merchandise featuring approved LA28 branding.

Announced on October 20, the initiative aims to allow local manufacturers, artisans and makers to participate in the Games’ merchandise programme. Non-profit organisation Homeboy Industries has become the first official licensee, with approval to produce apparel and accessories.

Under the programme, selected businesses will be able to use LA28 intellectual property on approved products and sell them through permitted channels, including their own platforms. Licences will be limited by product category and duration, with the programme expected to run from around one year before the Olympic Games until the end of the Paralympics in August 2028.

Eligibility and application timeline

Applicants must qualify as small businesses under US Small Business Administration standards, manufacture or create products at a physical facility in Los Angeles County, and prioritise locally sourced materials. Businesses based in the City of Los Angeles will receive priority during the first month of application reviews before the process expands to eligible businesses across the county.

Applications are scheduled to open on October 30 through the Regional Alliance Marketplace for Procurement (RAMP) and close in February 2027. LA28 plans to announce successful applicants in July 2027.

Peter Zeytoonjian, LA28’s senior vice-president of consumer products, said the programme was designed to make participation accessible to small local businesses.

“Fans will find products at our retail locations that were designed, sourced and made in Los Angeles, and local makers will gain a new channel to reach customers from around the world,” he said.

Homeboy Industries leads the programme

Homeboy Industries will produce apparel and accessories through its licensing agreement. The organisation provides rehabilitation, employment and support services for people affected by gang involvement and incarceration.

Its inaugural collaborative design features Olympic torch imagery created by Fabian Debora, founder of Homeboy Art Academy. The artwork references the torch’s symbolism of healing and transformation, as well as founder Fr. Gregory Boyle’s involvement in carrying the Olympic torch for the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover: “Our goal from day one has been to ensure the economic benefits of the Games reach our local neighbourhoods. "Made for Two-Eight puts the LA28 brand directly into the hands of our diverse local manufacturers. When visitors arrive from around the globe, they won’t just experience the Games; they’ll take home the authentic creativity of Angelenos.”

As India prepares to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, the LA28 initiative offers a potential model for linking major sporting events with local enterprise. A similar licensing programme could allow Indian artisans, small manufacturers and local brands to produce officially licensed merchandise, showcase regional crafts and reach international visitors. No comparable programme for the Ahmedabad Games has been publicly announced so far.