Alibaba appointed Beijing 2022 ticketing provider

Chinese ecommerce giant’s Damai platform to facilitate digital ticketing programme for Winter Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba will be the official ticketing and services provider to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

Under the agreement, the company, which is already an Olympic TOP sponsor, will provide a fully-digital ticketing programme using its data-driven analytics technology that allows fans to purchase and redistribute tickets securely.

The event’s organising committee will be responsible for the overall planning and delivery of the programme, which will utilise Alibaba-owned ticketing platform Damai.

Timo Lumme, managing director for the IOC’s TV and marketing services, said: “The ticketing solutions provided will drive further innovation at the Olympic Games, enhance the spectator experience and reduce costs for organisers, delivering on the commitments made by Olympic Agenda 2020.”

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The ticketing deal expands Alibaba’s 12-year agreement with the IOC, which has already seen the ecommerce company launch several activiations.

In December, Alibaba, which is owned by billionaire Jack Ma, launched the first ever online store for the Olympics on its Tmall retail platform.

A month later, the company also announced a tie-up with US software manufacturer Intel, a fellow member of the TOP programme, to launch a cloud-supported athlete tracking platform, driven by artificial intelligence (AI), that will also enhance audience engagement around the Games.  

Chris Tung, Alibaba’s chief marketing officer, added: “We are proud to extend our partnership with the Olympic Games, beyond ecommerce and cloud, by supporting the Beijing 2022 ticketing programme.

“We look forward to leveraging our technology to help provide streamlined, digitally-enabled ticket sales services to create a seamless ticketing experience for fans around the world.”

The Winter Olympics in Beijing takes place between 4th and 20th February 2022 across three different locations, including central Beijing, Yanqing, and Zhangjiakou.
Source from: https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/alibaba-beijing-2022-winter-olympics-ticketing-partnership