Alibaba Ready To Begin Journey as Olympic Partner for Cloud Services

Next month’s goal is to showcase the corporate giant’s brand ‘on a global stage’

Chris Tung, chief marketing officer, Alibaba, today officially rolled out the company’s plans for the 2018 Winter Olympics that begin next week in PyeongChang, South Korea. And, although the global corporate giant won’t have the deep technical presence it will in 2020, it will still put the company’s cloud, e-commerce, and digital services front and center for visitors, athletes, and Olympic friends.

Chris Tung of Alibaba says the company’s presence at future Olympics will expand.

“It’s an exciting time for us as we get ready for the Olympics, where we can show our brand on a global stage,” says Tung. “We are a founding partner with the Olympic Channel that is the foundation of a shared vision for the role that technology can play to transform the Olympics in the digital era.”

Over the next 10 years, Alibaba will increase its presence via an infrastructure to host and operate cloud-based services for the Olympics. The goal will be to help the Olympics move to a cloud-based, secure infrastructure that enhances the experience of everyone at the Games.

“With our deep experience in e-commerce, we can create a hub for IOC content with news and e-commerce in a secure way for athletes, spectators, and members of the Olympic family.”

On Feb. 1, Alibaba will officially roll out its “To the Greatness of Small” campaign across channels in key markets around the world, including China, U.S., UK, Japan, and Korea. The company will also open an Olympic Showcase in PyeongChang, providing a fully immersive, interactive, and future-looking experience that will bring to life the company’s idea of the “Olympic Games on the Cloud.” Visitors will be able to witness how Alibaba will leverage its technology, especially cloud-based solutions, to make the at-Games experience more enjoyable and efficient for all stakeholders.

From facial recognition to travel guidance; enhanced content-creation capabilities for fans, athletes, and the media; and re-imagined e-commerce capabilities for purchasing official merchandise, the future of the Games as imagined by Alibaba Group will be on display in PyeongChang 2018.

“Visitors will see firsthand how we will help bring the Olympics into the digital era with an interactive, immersive, and future-looking experience and how we will leverage technology, especially cloud-based solutions,” says Tung.

Located in Gangneung Olympic Park, the Olympic Showcase will be open to the public daily 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Feb. 11-25.

“We want to help transform the Games in the digital era and re-engage the young generation and increase the relevance of the Games,” says Tung. “That is the power of technology.”