Cisco Becomes Official Partner of the LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games and Team USA

Cisco announced a partnership with the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Team USA to serve as the Official Network Equipment Partner. As the next four years promise to bring incredible growth and transformation that will impact all aspects of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Cisco will deliver on its long-standing history with the Olympic and Paralympic Movement to not only provide secure connectivity through its industry-leading networking infrastructure, but also positively impact the city of Los Angeles and people in the region.

Since 2012, Cisco has served as an Official Partner of several editions of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, connecting and protecting athletes, fans and stakeholders in London (2012), Rio de Janeiro (2016), Tokyo (2020) and Paris (2024). Cisco’s networking solutions will be deployed across numerous venues throughout the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area to ensure secure and reliable connectivity for all involved in the LA28 Games.

As the Olympic Games return to Los Angeles for the third time overall and first since 1984, and the city prepares to host its first Paralympic Games, Cisco will build upon its existing relationships within the city and region to leverage networking technology to benefit residents and visitors to the area in both 2028 and beyond.

"We are thrilled to bring Cisco’s networking technology, powered by AI, to the LA28 Olympics and Paralympics. The Games have become a powerful symbol of representation for the world, embodying the principle that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to compete. We can't wait to use our expertise to securely connect these globally beloved events, leave a lasting positive impact on Los Angeles, and amplify the ideals of organizations like Cisco who seek to foster an inclusive future for all," said Francine Katsoudas, Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer at Cisco.

“Connectivity is going to be integral as we plan to deliver the Olympic and Paralympic Games all throughout Los Angeles,” said LA28 Chairperson and President, Casey Wasserman. “Cisco’s leadership in the industry and experience will enable us to provide the best and most seamless experience for our athletes, fans, partners and community at large.”

Cisco will also use the platform of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to deliver on the company’s purpose to power an inclusive future for all by creating opportunities for people in Los Angeles through both new and existing social impact programming, including the Cisco Networking Academy, which was founded in 1997 and provides networking and network security training and educational courses to more than 20 million students worldwide. Cisco currently has 35 active academies in the Los Angeles area and has supported 34,000 students in the region since the program’s inception.

This commitment builds on Cisco's legacy work surrounding prior Games, including in 2016 with the development of a bespoke program that provided young people from Rio de Janeiro’s most impoverished communities with the tools and skills needed to work alongside Cisco and other Rio 2016 technology partners to support the network during the Games and set them up for future success and employability. Similarly, ahead of the Tokyo Games, Cisco launched a program designed to provide youth with technical knowledge and skills and to enhance Japan's networking security expertise, educating more than 6,000 students in total to fill local human resources gaps in this critical field.

In addition to serving as a long-time trusted partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Cisco’s sports and entertainment solutions and expertise have also been relied upon by hundreds of industry-leading venues, teams, events and organizations around the world over the past decade.

Source: Cisco media announcement