The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Alibaba Group have announced the launch of the first-ever Olympic store on China’s Tmall.
“We are delighted to launch our first Olympic store on Alibaba’s Tmall in China, one of the world’s largest eCommerce marketplaces,” said Timo Lumme, IOC TMS managing director, in a press release. “The launch was made possible thanks to the support of our Worldwide Olympic Partner Alibaba’s technology and expertise, as well as our partnership with the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2022. The Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 will be a landmark moment for China and the Olympic Movement, and from today, we look forward to offering the latest, exciting Olympic products to Chinese Olympic fans through our new Olympic store on Alibaba’s platform.”
For now, the store will only be available to Chinese fans, with plans to create a global eCommerce platform for fans around the world. The store will offer official products, developed as part of three Olympic core licensing collections: the Olympic Games Collection celebrates the upcoming Olympic Games, and includes branded products from the Beijing 2022 and Tokyo 2020 games; the Olympic Heritage Collection boasts products that include art and design elements from previous games; and the Olympic Collection features products designed for younger fans.
Last year, the IOC and Alibaba entered a long-term strategic partnership to transform the Olympic Games for the digital era. As a result, Alibaba serves as the official “cloud services” and “eCommerce platform services” partner of the IOC, and is a founding partner of the Olympic Channel through 2028.
“The launch of the first Olympic store on Alibaba’s Tmall is an important milestone in our long-term partnership with the IOC. We are proud to leverage Alibaba’s technology and ecosystem to provide more opportunities for Chinese fans to celebrate the heritage of the games, and join in the excitement for Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022. We look forward to our continued collaboration with the IOC to connect more fans in China and from around the world to the Olympic Movement in the digital era,” said Chris Tung, Alibaba Group’s chief marketing officer.