The International Olympic Committee has launched a Tokyo 2020 web portal on Alibaba’s TMall with the one-year countdown to the postponed Olympic Games.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Worldwide Olympic Partner Alibaba have announced the launch of an official Tokyo 2020 content portal for Chinese fans on Tmall – China’s largest B2C marketplace for brands and retailers.
The new portal features the latest news, photos and announcements related to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, as well as interactive content tailored specifically to young consumers in China. The launch is another way to mark the one-year-to-go milestone and an acknowledgement of the iconic moments when the world will unite and celebrate, IOC has reported on its official website.
“Using digital technology to better directly engage and connect with fans around the world is also one of the objectives of the Olympic Agenda 2020,” said Christian Voigt, Vice President of Marketing Development at the IOC Television & Marketing Services. “Launching a new Tokyo 2020 destination for Chinese fans on Tmall helps us leverage the platform’s huge user base and technology to engage sports fans in China in a way they are used to consume content and improve our Olympic value offerings in particular in relation to the Games on an ongoing basis.”
For the first time, the IOC has also leveraged Tmall’s Flagship Store 2.0 technology to launch a dedicated game for Tokyo 2020, themed around Olympic sports and the cultural heritage and landmarks of host country Japan.
The interactive game – developed by Alibaba – will run from July 23 to 27, offering players the chance to win tickets to the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, as well as flights and accommodation.
The new Tokyo 2020 content portal marks another milestone in the digital transformation of the IOC’s engagement programme and follows the launch of the first-ever Olympic store on Tmall in 2018.
“The Tokyo 2020 official Chinese portal is an extension of the Olympic flagship store on Tmall,” said Chris Tung, Chief Marketing Officer of Alibaba Group. “The combination of the two portals offers a fun, interactive destination on Tmall that seamlessly integrates commerce and content. This is an illustration of Tmall’s power to empower brands to reach Chinese consumers. As the official E-Commerce Platform Services Partner, we look forward to continuing our collaboration with the IOC to create an engaging experience for fans all year round.”
Alibaba Group and the IOC entered a historic, long-term strategic partnership in January 2017. As the official “Cloud Services” and “E-Commerce Platform Services” Partner through to the Olympic Games 2028, Alibaba is committed to helping the IOC transform how fans engage with the Games year-round and upgrade the largest sporting event’s cloud-computing technology and spectator experience for the digital era.
As well as hosting the IOC’s official store on Tmall and being a Founding Partner of the Olympic Channel, Alibaba has also launched of variety marketing campaigns to build excitement for summer and winter sports on its platforms. Among these was last December’s Tmall Winter Festival, which featured a wide range of activewear and gear from sports brands as well as Olympic Games-themed products from other IOC partners, such as Coca-Cola and Intel.
“With our upcoming creative campaigns, we will provide more opportunities for Chinese fans to celebrate the Games wherever they are and join in the excitement for Tokyo 2020,” added Tung.