Alibaba Cloud, the cloud unit of Alibaba Group, is partnering with Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to deploy cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
Building on its work at Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022, and Paris 2024, the collaboration supports the IOC’s shift toward cloud-based, AI-enabled broadcasting. The technologies aim to enhance viewing experiences, improve operational efficiency for broadcasters, and create new ways to capture, manage, and preserve Olympic content.
“Each Olympic Games presents unique challenges in scale, geography, and complexity,” said Dr. Feifei Li, senior vice president of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group and president of International Business. “For Milano Cortina 2026, we are applying cloud and AI capabilities to make broadcasts more dynamic, workflows more efficient, and Olympic moments more accessible to audiences around the world.”
Alibaba Cloud is introducing upgraded Real-Time 360º Replay systems, delivering immersive replays with smooth camera movement and stroboscopic effects. Using an AI algorithm that separates athletes from snow and ice backgrounds, the system can reconstruct key moments in 15–20 seconds, suitable for live broadcast. The system will cover 17 sports, including ice hockey, freestyle skiing, figure skating, and ski jumping. It features Spacetime Slices, which shows multiple phases of an athlete’s movement in one composite image, in addition to the BulletTime effects first introduced at Beijing 2022.
OBS is also developing the Automatic Media Description (AMD) System powered by Alibaba’s Qwen large language model. The system automatically identifies athletes, generates event descriptions, and tags video assets in seconds, reducing manual processing time.
Cloud-based broadcasting continues to expand. Since Tokyo 2020, OBS Live Cloud has grown from an optional service to the primary method for remote broadcast delivery, supporting 39 broadcasters at Milano Cortina 2026. The platform will deliver 428 live video feeds, including 26 in ultra-high definition, and 72 audio feeds. Cloud delivery reduces cost, setup time, and technical complexity while improving flexibility.
For the first time, the OBS Olympic Video Player (OVP) will provide high-definition live streams using Alibaba Cloud infrastructure, giving smaller broadcasters access to professional-grade capabilities without heavy upfront investment.
“Alibaba Cloud provides the foundation that makes large-scale AI possible, making our operations more efficient and unlocking new opportunities to enhance viewers’ experience and deepen their understanding of the sport and athletes’ performances on the world’s biggest stage,” said Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of Olympic Broadcasting Services.
Milano Cortina 2026 will also produce more digital content than ever, with over 5,000 short-form assets available through OBS Content+, Alibaba Cloud’s cloud-based platform. Teams worldwide can locate, edit, and publish content efficiently.
For the first time, the IOC will use large language models (LLMs) at the Olympics through “Olympic AI Assistants,” powered by Alibaba’s Qwen models. The AI supports fan engagement on olympics.com, provides personalized museum guides in Lausanne, and assists National Olympic Committees with document searches and multilingual translation.
Alibaba Cloud also upgrades Sports AI, an archiving solution that manages more than eight petabytes of Olympic media. AI tagging, video search, and conversational search make decades of content instantly accessible, turning previously unused media into a searchable knowledge library.
“Milano Cortina 2026 marks a defining moment in the integration of AI into the Olympic Movement,” said Ilario Corna, chief technology and information officer, International Olympic Committee. “Alibaba Cloud has been incredible in putting these leading capabilities to work in very practical, helpful ways — not only enhancing the everyday experience for our fans through first use of LLM technologies at the Olympics, but building intelligent systems such as Sports AI that will preserve historic Olympic moments for generations to come.”