IOC President Thomas Bach cements his strong relationship with Alibaba in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on Aug 25. [Photo/olympic.org]

IOC President Thomas Bach met Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma at the headquarters of Alibaba in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on Aug 25.

Alibaba, a global technology company, in January, became the first Worldwide Top Partner of the Olympic Games under a partnership through 2028, and also the first Chinese sponsor for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

The two leaders cooperated in unveiling a commemorative stone to mark the long-term partnership.

Two leaders take questions at an hour long meeting with Alibaba's young employees. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

"Our relationship is similar to a marriage", said Jack Ma, "We share the same vision to make the Olympics more digital, more efficient and more global."

President Bach called Alibaba "a partner sharing our vision to make all our lives happier and healthier".

"By working closely together, through sports enhanced via technology, we can both make our dreams come true." Bach said.

Alibaba Cloud's big data analytics will help provide a more efficient and secure environment for the Olympic Games, Ma said.

Apart from serving as the official "Cloud Services" and "E-Commerce Platform Services" Partner, Alibaba will also help develop and customize the digital Olympic Channel to enable billions of Olympic fans to have easier access to the games.