High-tech innovation a real Games changer

IOC president hails Beijing 2022's digital advances via the cloud

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach gave a thumbs-up to the technologies being applied across the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, and praised the work many journalists are doing both in China and overseas in reporting on the Games.

Expressing his best Spring Festival wishes to reporters at the 2022 Beijing Main Media Center via a cloud-based platform on Sunday, Bach congratulated Beijing on becoming the first city to host both the summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games.

"We started the Year of the Tiger in a brilliant way. I'm sure I'm not the only one who will never forget the truly outstanding opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games," he said through cloud software designed by Chinese technology giant Alibaba.

Besides sharing his thanks for the support for the Games being provided by people from all walks of life in China, the IOC president also highlighted the importance of technology for the Games.

He said most winter sports fans in China and around the world will follow the athletes and their amazing performances via digital platforms, adding that digitization had begun changing the Olympic Games in profound ways even before the pandemic.

"Beijing 2022 will deepen the trend of engaging more people, more digitally than before," he said. "Bringing the magic of the Olympic Games to a global audience would not be possible without the support of our valued technology partners."

He said that Alibaba is playing an essential role in transforming the Olympic Games, making them fit for the digital age, and its cloud technology is setting new standards and raising the bar to new levels.

"Together with Alibaba, we're making history in Beijing," he added. "For the first time, all core systems needed to run the Olympic Winter Games are hosted on the cloud."

Alibaba CEO Zhang Yong, who works in Shanghai, expressed thanks to Bach via the could, saying that the enterprise has stepped up its efforts to develop digital technologies over the past 23 years.

"What we want is to go digital with our users, clients and partners in more aspects, helping them benefit more in this regard," Zhang said.

"We hope our digital efforts to contribute to the Olympic Games can take the spirit of the Games to every corner of the world," he added.

After the talk, Bach and Zhang both presented spring couplets to pass on their best wishes to journalists on the cloud.

Xu Hejian, director of the media center, said that they will continue using technologies to offer high-quality services for reporters to help them better cover the stories of Beijing 2022.

The cloud-based software, Cloud ME, is a holographic display space that enables real-time communication and data flows. The technology enables those in different locations to talk with each other in the same virtual space, while an audience is able to watch in smooth and low-latency high-definition.