US Olympic Committee seeks outside investors for new commercial venture

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is at an advanced stage of setting up a commercial entity to sell equity stakes, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The non-profit committee, unlike many national Olympic committees, relies heavily on sponsorship, licensing and other commercial revenue rather than government support.

According to minutes of the committee's board meetings, the plan has been under development for months. The proposed entity will be called the US Olympic and Paralympic Ventures (USOPV). The minutes state that CEO Sarah Hirshland has received positive feedback from preliminary discussions. The Raine Group is advising the committee. According to Sky News, the venture could be worth billions of dollars.

Hirshland said the commercial model and details of USOPV are still being prepared. The committee said its partnership with Los Angeles 2028 will end after the Games and that the transition has been planned for a long time. Hirshland added that the focus will then shift to the 2034 Winter Olympics, and that the aim is to build a sustainable commercial structure for host cities and future events.