TECH

Alibaba Tech Tapped to Provide Olympic Athletes With AI Assistants

Published: Feb. 6, 2026 12:39 p.m. GMT+8

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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has adopted Alibaba’s technology to power a large language model (LLM) which will assist with broadcasting and public services at the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Games, IOC President Kirsty Coventry said on Thursday.

The partnership between Alibaba Cloud, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and IOC marks the latest effort by the Chinese tech giant to accelerate overseas adoption of its artificial intelligence (AI) model technology, leveraging the visibility of the global sporting event.

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The IOC will use Alibaba’s AI technology, including its Qwen-powered LLM, to support broadcasting and public services at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.
OBS Cloud, replacing traditional satellites, will manage 6,000+ hours of content for the geographically dispersed Games, with features like 360-degree replays and automated athlete identification.
Alibaba's 12-year partnership with the IOC began in 2017, supporting Olympic operations through Los Angeles 2028.

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Who’s Who

Alibaba: Alibaba, a Chinese tech giant, is partnering with the IOC to power a large language model (LLM) for broadcasting and public services at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games. Using its Qwen AI model, Alibaba will provide an "IOC AI Assistant" for national delegations and another for the public, answering queries on various topics. Alibaba will also offer technical support for traffic management and energy consumption monitoring. This partnership is part of a 12-year agreement with the IOC, making Alibaba a top-tier partner since 2017.

Alibaba Cloud: Alibaba Cloud is collaborating with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) to power an AI large language model (LLM) for the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Games. This LLM, based on Alibaba's Qwen model, will assist with broadcasting and public services, offering interactive Q&A platforms for national delegations and the public. Alibaba will also provide technical support for traffic management and energy monitoring at venues as part of its 12-year partnership with the IOC, which began in 2017.

Olympic Broadcasting Services: Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) is partnering with Alibaba Cloud and the IOC for the Milan-Cortina Winter Games. OBS will utilize the OBS Cloud platform for broadcasting, producing over 6,000 hours of content to meet global platforms' diverse needs. This cloud technology, which has progressively replaced satellite transmission, will be crucial for remote production, effectively managing the geographical dispersion of venues.

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What Happened When

February 5, 2026：: IOC President Kirsty Coventry announced the adoption of Alibaba’s technology to power a large language model (LLM) for broadcasting and public services at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.

As of February 2026：: The LLM, based on Alibaba’s Qwen model, powers interactive Q&A platforms according to IOC’s chief information and technology officer Ilario Corna.

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