IOC President Coventry dives deep into the company cultures of three Chinese Worldwide Olympic Partners during her China visit

14 November 2025 – IOC President Kirsty Coventry took a deep dive into the cultures of the three Chinese Worldwide Olympic Partners – Alibaba, Mengniu and TCL – during the second stage of her visit this week to China. “It was a pleasure to have spent time with our TOP Partners, especially at their headquarters. I got a real sense of not just what each company does, but who the company is,” said the IOC President, who was accompanied by the IOC Members in China, Lingwei Li and Hong Zhang.

The President visited Alibaba in Hangzhou, Mengniu in Hohhot in Inner Mongolia, and TCL in Shenzhen, where she met the leadership of the respective companies. “All three Partners spoke about the importance of their teams. All three spoke about the importance of strengthening their community, of what they can give back to their communities,” President Coventry emphasised.

Having listened to the leadership of the three TOP Partners and having experienced the atmosphere in the headquarters, Kirsty Coventry noted the close connection between the Olympic values and the companies’ values: “They all spoke about different values that just align so much with the Olympic Movement: inspiring greatness and working together and wanting to achieve impossible things, whether it was with Alibaba on AI and technology, or TCL with its new incredible display and AI technology, or with Mengniu’s dedication to nutrition and healthy lifestyles.”

The visit will help to strengthen the three existing Partnerships even further, the IOC President concluded. She also collected feedback for the ongoing Fit for the Future process the IOC is currently conducting and to which the stakeholders of the Olympic Movement have been asked to contribute.

One of the very important stakeholders is our TOP Partners. So spending the time here to better understand where the Partners want to go, where they see opportunities, and how they can see us working together in the future, was very insightful.

Kirsty Coventry, IOC President

Visit to TCL in Shenzhen

At the TCL headquarters in Shenzhen, the IOC and TCL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration in technology and innovation in support of the Olympic Movement. The seven-year strategic agreement between the IOC and TCL will focus on using advanced technologies to enhance the Olympic Games experience for athletes, fans and organisers, while promoting a more connected and sustainable future.

TCL Founder and Chairman Li Dongsheng said: “The signing of this MoU will enable TCL to transform how athletes and fans worldwide enjoy the Olympic Games through technology integration, athlete engagement and community empowerment, reflecting our commitment to ‘Inspire Greatness’ through sport.”

During the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, TCL will leverage the latest display and audio technology to bring fans closer to the action than ever before, while also supplying the Olympic Village with air conditioners to support athlete comfort and enjoyment. As the sponsor of the Athlete Moment, TCL will also use its display technology to help athletes connect with their families and friends immediately after competing.

During the visit, President Coventry also attended a ceremony to unveil the Olympic rings at the TCL headquarters and met with employees to learn more about the company’s technology and sustainability initiatives.

President Coventry said: “TCL is not just a brand that is trying to grow its brand and its products and sell products to people, but it’s very conscious of trying to make the world better through its products. And that was something that was emphasised in each of the product categories that they were sharing with us. TCL is leading the way in so many different areas, and I think our partnership is going to just grow from strength to strength.”

Visit to Mengniu in Hohhot

In Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, President Coventry toured Mengniu’s modern dairy production facilities with Gao Fei, CEO of Mengniu Group, and sampled the Mengniu dairy products, including ice cream. They discussed sports development, sustainability and shared goals ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

Gao Fei noted that Mengniu, as the first dairy company to become a Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner, remains committed to sustainable development. Gao invited Coventry to visit the Ulan Buh Desert in the future, where Mengniu has carried out long-term ecological restoration projects. Located in Inner Mongolia, it is China’s eighth largest desert. Since 2009, Mengniu has worked with multiple partners to combat desertification in the area, planting 98 million desert-adapted plants and restoring over 220 square kilometres of desert land.

During the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Mengniu created a 140-square-metre desert oasis leisure area at the beach volleyball venue near the Eiffel Tower, highlighting the company’s determination to combat desertification.

On the occasion of the IOC President’s visit, Mengniu launched the “Ulan Buh Ecological Protection Plan”, pledging to restore 10 million square metres of land over the next five years, enhance local biodiversity and ecosystem stability, and promote rural vitalisation through green industries.

President Coventry commended Mengniu as a leading global dairy company that combines nutritional innovation with strong environmental commitment. “I am deeply grateful for Mengniu’s warm welcome and impressed by its dedication to promoting healthier lifestyles and the Olympic spirit. Its sustainability projects are truly impressive to see,” she said.

Visit to Alibaba in Hangzhou

The visit to the Alibaba headquarters in Hangzhou started with an introduction to the impressive history of the company, including its rapid growth. IOC President Coventry was welcomed by Eddie Wu, CEO and Director of Alibaba Group and Chairman and CEO of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group. “It’s been an incredible moment to learn about Alibaba’s entire history – how small it started and how big it has become,” Coventry said.

The visit included a strategic meeting between the IOC and Alibaba leadership, followed by a technology workshop with Alibaba employees, which focused on the role of cloud computing, e-commerce, and AI innovation in the Olympic Movement.

President Coventry thanked Alibaba for its ongoing support as a Worldwide Olympic Partner since 2017, highlighting its shared vision to transform the Olympic Games for the digital era. She emphasised Alibaba’s impact on broadcasting, including Live Cloud Broadcasting, first used at Paris 2024 and planned for Milano Cortina 2026, which allows fans to enjoy more highlights faster while reducing costs and manpower.

“We can see so much potential for the future. We were having great discussions with the leadership and with the team in and around the limitless possibilities that the future offers, especially around artificial intelligence, technology and platforms that Alibaba has already been helping the Olympic Movement to develop.”

Alibaba will deliver over 15 technology applications for Milano Cortina 2026, including an AI-powered pin trading centre for athletes, the “Wonder On Ice” fan activation, and the Alibaba Cloud AIGC Championship, a winter sports-themed online mini-game for global fans. Its AI-powered OBS Cloud will also enhance broadcast operations with multi-camera replays and in-venue highlights.

In addition, the IOC President participated with the leaders of the three Chinese Worldwide Olympic Partners in the “Dialogue” programme of the China Media Group (CMG), which is a flagship studio talk show of CMG’s Business Channel.

Read about the first part of the IOC President’s visit to China here.