World Aquatics to migrate core systems to Alibaba Cloud by 2028
World Aquatics has selected Alibaba Cloud as its Global Exclusive Cloud Supplier in a partnership that will result in the full migration of the federation's core systems to cloud infrastructure.
The agreement, which will run from 2025 through to 2028, will be implemented across all World Aquatics events, including World Aquatics Championships, World Cup cycles, and its various digital platforms.
Cloud migration
This marks the first time that the core systems of an international sports federation will be fully migrated to the cloud. World Aquatics will utilise Alibaba Cloud's cloud computing and artificial intelligence capabilities to support ongoing digital transformation of its operations and services.
Husain Al Musallam, President of World Aquatics, stated, "This is a significant step forward for World Aquatics. Alibaba Cloud brings not only global cloud coverage and proven technical expertise, but also a great understanding of the demands of international sport on digital platforms. This partnership will allow us to scale our operations, improve our platforms' stability, enhance data security and serve our community more effectively."
Operational and digital goals
The partnership aims to support World Aquatics' global digital operations and evolving data strategy, providing a suite of cloud services and AI-driven solutions for the organisation's requirements. It is also intended to help foster a more connected global aquatics community and advance World Aquatics' broader vision of promoting unity and health through aquatic sports.
Selina Yuan, President of International Business at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, commented, "We are thrilled to reach this significant milestone in collaboration with World Aquatics. Alibaba Cloud is dedicated to driving the digital transformation of global sports through our leading AI and cloud computing technologies. This exclusive partnership not only showcases our long-standing commitment to sports innovation, but also creates new opportunities to elevate the aquatic sports experience for athletes, organizations, and fans worldwide."
Key initiatives
Under the agreement, several digital initiatives are planned. These include migrating and upgrading the next generation World Aquatics General Management System (GMS) to Alibaba Cloud to enhance service delivery to national federations and athletes.
The federation will also launch a new web platform and mobile application designed for athletes, coaches, and fans. Alibaba Cloud will provide scalable and secure cloud environments for the digital ecosystem supporting World Aquatics' competitions and other digital properties.
Another part of the partnership is the development of a Customer Data Platform, which will help World Aquatics better understand and engage its various audience groups and provide tailored services and solutions. Integration of Alibaba Cloud's AI technologies across these platforms is also intended to drive efficiency and optimise processes.
"This is a significant step forward for World Aquatics. Alibaba Cloud brings not only global cloud coverage and proven technical expertise, but also a great understanding of the demands of international sport on digital platforms. This partnership will allow us to scale our operations, improve our platforms' stability, enhance data security and serve our community more effectively."
Stakeholder impact
The collaboration will see the digital architecture and intelligence for World Aquatics' ecosystem combined within one integrated environment. The objective is to strengthen capabilities for serving athletes, coaches, clubs, and other stakeholders associated with aquatic sports globally.
World Aquatics currently governs six aquatic sports: swimming, water polo, diving, artistic swimming, open water swimming, and high diving. The organisation consists of 210 national federations and five continental organisations, and is recognised as the global authority for aquatic sports by the International Olympic Committee.
Alibaba Cloud, founded in 2009, provides a range of cloud services including elastic computing, database and storage, network virtualisation, security, big data analytics, and AI services to customers worldwide.
