China powers Milano Cortina Winter Olympics with tech and brands

ByZhou Zhengqing

Xu Mengtao of China competes during the freestyle skiing women's aerials final 2 at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Livigno, Italy, February 18, 2026. [Photo/Xinhua]

With the Olympic flame once again illuminating the Alps, the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games are no longer merely a grand sporting event. They have become a significant platform through which China, leveraging its technological strength, manufacturing capabilities and brand power, deeply engages in the global winter sports ecosystem.

Chinese technology: From experience optimization to operational core

At the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, Chinese digital technology has, for the first time, undertaken key functions in event organization and management in a systematic and platform-based manner. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), building on Alibaba Cloud's "Qwen" large language model, launched the first official large-model system in Olympic history.

Deployed across 11 countries and regions – including China, Brazil and Sweden – the system enables delegations to efficiently complete accreditation verification, logistics coordination and policy inquiries in their native languages, significantly reducing linguistic and geographic barriers while enhancing operational efficiency. Meanwhile, the public can access real-time rule explanations and Olympic historical information through artificial intelligence (AI) assistants.

At the same time, TCL, as a newly appointed global partner, has deployed large-scale display systems for event broadcasting and provided AI-powered smart terminals to the Olympic Village. Drones and intelligent recognition algorithms have been deeply integrated into broadcast production, enabling precise capture of critical competition moments.

Alibaba Cloud's AI-enhanced broadcasting technology delivers clearer "bullet-time" freeze frames and introduces a new "time-slice" effect, allowing audiences to immerse themselves in the complete technical trajectory of athletes' high-speed aerial maneuvers. Chinese technology is thus driving the 2026 Winter Olympics towards what is being described as the "most intelligent" Games in history.

Chinese manufacturing: Reshaping the development logic of the winter sports industry

At the infrastructure level, the Milano Speed Skating Stadium has continued the green and sustainable design principles emphasized during the Beijing Winter Olympics. By improving energy efficiency and operational management, the venue has reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions during both construction and use.

On the manufacturing side, Chinese enterprises have upgraded material systems and production processes to enhance product performance and reliability, fostering deeper economic and trade cooperation with European markets.

Data indicate that since the second half of 2025, China's exports of ice skates to Central and Eastern European markets have maintained double-digit growth. As Chinese winter sports equipment gains recognition in Europe, new opportunities have emerged for coordinated development between China and Europe in production, trade and technology.

Su Yiming of China celebrates after the snowboard men's snowboard slopestyle final at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Livigno, Italy, February 18, 2026. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese brands: From national narrative to community-oriented narrative

On the competition field, the global strategy of Chinese brands has become more visible than ever. Su Yiming won China's first gold medal wearing Li-Ning's award ceremony apparel, and Eileen Gu soared through the air clad in ANTA attire, with the "blue-and-white porcelain dragon" motif becoming a striking symbol in global broadcasts. China's elite athletes have thus become high-exposure "mobile carriers" of long-term international brand strategies.

More importantly, through an inclusive sponsorship model, Chinese brands are shifting from serving a single national delegation to participating in the operation of the global sports community. PEAK, as a global top-tier partner of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), focuses on supporting small and medium-sized delegations with relatively limited resources. ANTA has upgraded its role to become the IOC's official sportswear supplier, providing uniforms for Olympic staff and officials from multiple countries and serving as a key pillar in ensuring the efficient operation of the Games.

In design and communication, Chinese brands have demonstrated a more mature international orientation by emphasizing value co-creation with different countries. Li-Ning designed award ceremony apparel for Argentina's delegation featuring "Argentine blue" as the dominant color, responding to local aesthetic preferences.

Meanwhile, the emerging Chinese professional outdoor brand Pelliot has signed partnerships with Bolivia and other developing winter sports nations, demonstrating the solid technical performance of its equipment. This cross-national, de-labeled collaboration model signals that Chinese brands are evolving from extensions of national image to universal participants within the Olympic system.

As Chinese technology, manufacturing and brands integrate into the Olympic framework in multidimensional ways, China has transitioned from being merely a participant in the Games to becoming an important builder of the global sports industry. The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games thus represent not only a major sporting event, but also a milestone in China's advancement toward high-quality development in the winter sports sector and the upgrading of its capabilities within the global system.

The author isan associate professor at the Department of Physical Education at Peking University.