There is a LOT happening with the LA 2028 Olympics right now, and the Disney/Universal angle is genuinely fascinating, so let’s get into it because you need to know this before you start planning your 2028 Southern California trip.
Here is the short version: Universal is officially the theme park partner of the LA28 Games, Bob Iger might end up running the whole operation, and somehow Walt Disney produced the Olympics back in 1960. It is a whole thing. Let’s go.
Universal Just Locked In as the Official Theme Park of the Olympics
Comcast announced that Universal Destinations & Experiences is the official theme park partner of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Surprise surprise, right? NBC airs the Olympics. Comcast owns NBC. Comcast owns Universal. The math is not complicated.
But here’s the part that actually matters: the deal between Comcast and the IOC is massive. Last year they signed a partnership that extended U.S. Olympic media rights through 2036 for an additional $3 billion. That elevated Comcast from a broadcast rights-holder to a full strategic partner of the Olympic Movement. We are talking about a very deep, very long relationship here, and Universal Studios Hollywood is clearly going to be front and center for the Games.
The coolest thing about all of this? Squash is going to be played at Courthouse Square on the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot. Yes, that Courthouse Square. The one from Back to the Future. The one from Bruce Almighty. An actual Olympic sport is going to be played in front of the Hill Valley clock tower and broadcast to the entire world. Elite squash is played on courts with glass walls so the background is always visible on camera, which means we are going to be watching Olympic athletes compete with the Hollywood backlot behind them. That is genuinely wild and we cannot wait.
If you happen to be at Universal Studios Hollywood during the Games and catch the Backlot Tour, you might literally ride past an Olympic venue. We need everyone to understand how fun that is.
Bob Iger Might Be About to Chair the Entire Thing
Here is where it gets even more interesting.
Outgoing Disney CEO Bob Iger — who officially leaves the company on March 18, 2026 — is reportedly a front-runner to become the next chair of the LA28 Olympic Organizing Committee. CNN broke the story, citing sources familiar with the internal process, and it honestly makes a lot of sense once you know the backstory.
Current chair Casey Wasserman is under enormous pressure to step down following a scandal involving some very bad emails with a very bad person. The mayor of Los Angeles, dozens of state legislators, and basically every elected official in California has called for him to go. Sources told CNN that LA28 leadership is worried he simply cannot do the public-facing parts of the job anymore without creating constant distraction. His exit is looking like a matter of when, not if.
So who steps in for a role that requires instant name recognition, decades of entertainment experience, and the ability to walk into any room in Hollywood and be taken seriously? Iger fits. He helped Los Angeles land the 2028 bid in the first place when he joined the bid committee for the original 2024 campaign. He worked on Olympic broadcasts from 1976 to 1988. He spent decades running one of the most complex entertainment companies on the planet.
Disney fan feelings about Iger are complicated right now, and we get it. But for this particular job? He is a very good fit and would bring a lot to the table for LA28.
Disney Is Already Involved, Actually
Even before any Iger news, Disney had a seat at the table. LA28 hired Peter Rice last year as Head of Ceremonies and Content, making him the lead executive producer for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Rice was previously the Chairman of Television and General Entertainment at The Walt Disney Company. So the person literally designing the ceremonies that the entire world will watch? Disney vet.
And then there is Walt Disney himself, who produced the opening and closing ceremonies for the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics in California. The modern Olympic ceremony as a piece of entertainment? Disney helped invent it.
On the park side, Disney created the Major Events Integration President role for Ken Potrock specifically to coordinate LA28 integration. That job exists because Disney clearly wants a piece of this, and we are very hopeful that Disneyland ends up doing something meaningful for the Games. The park was heavily involved in the 1984 LA Olympics, and a lot has changed since then in terms of what Disney is capable of staging. The potential is enormous.
So What Does This Mean for Your Trip?
Here is the honest truth: a Southern California vacation in the summer of 2028 is going to be one of the most exciting things you can do as a Disney and pop culture fan. You have Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood hosting actual Olympic events, the city of Los Angeles buzzing, and the potential for Disney to be all over the ceremonies.
The first ticket draw for LA28 is open right now and closes March 18, 2026. If you are in a qualifying LA zip code there is a local presale specifically for you. Do not sleep on this. These trips take real planning, and the people who start now are the ones who actually get to go. Start looking at dates, start watching for ticket availability, and start getting excited because 2028 in Southern California is going to be absolutely something else.
