Through the signing of a long-term partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Alibaba Group has become the worldwide Olympic partner for the Games through 2028.
Joining The Olympic Partner (TOP) worldwide sponsorship program, Alibaba will become the official “Cloud Services” and “E-Commerce Platform Services” partner, as well as a founding partner of the Olympic Channel. The deal will see the creation of a global e-commerce platform for Olympic stakeholders to engage and connect with fans seeking official Olympic licensed products manufactured by the Olympic parties’ official licensees and selected sports products on a worldwide basis. With the pact, Alibaba also becomes the first Chinese company to commit to the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
“Alibaba’s partnership with the IOC is built on a foundation of shared values and a common vision for connecting the world and enriching people’s lives,” said Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group. “We are proud to support Olympic Agenda 2020, using our innovations and technologies to help evolve the Olympic Games for the digital era.”
“Alibaba is proud to empower the International Olympic Committee in a game-changing digital transformation, while moving another step closer toward our goal to serve 2 billion consumers,” said Daniel Zhang, the CEO of Alibaba Group. “We will leverage our experience in serving a young user base to help connect more young people to the Olympic Movement, helping to strengthen our brand through this historic partnership.”
Tsunekazu Takeda, the IOC’s marketing commission chair, said: “We are delighted to be working in the long term with Alibaba for the benefit of the Olympic Movement. This strategic partnership underlines the global appeal of the Olympic values and opens an exciting new chapter in this digital age.”
