How Alibaba Cloud's Intelligent Pin Trading Station revitalises a century-old Olympic tradition
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In partnership with
Alibaba
ByTNT UK
Published 18/03/2026 at 13:43 GMT
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Through its Intelligent Pin Trading Station, Alibaba Cloud has re-imagined the beloved Olympic Games tradition of pin trading, without losing the element of human interaction. Powered by Alibaba's Qwen Large Language Model (LLM), this station brought athletes from all over the world together during the Winter Olympics and Paralympics at Milano Cortina 2026.
'That's awesome' - IOC president Coventry tests Alibaba Cloud's intelligent pin trading station
Video credit: Alibaba
For over 100 years, pin trading has captivated athletes, staff and fans alike at the Olympic Games. And with Alibaba Cloud's Intelligent Pin Trading Station, Milano Cortina 2026 saw the cherished tradition taken to new heights.
Powered by Alibaba's Qwen Large Language Model (LLM), this station serves as a must-visit landmark in the Milano Olympic Village Plaza and a social hub for elite athletes, who are captivated by the latest technological advancements.
By implementing the Qwen3-Omni multilingual omni model, Alibaba Cloud's Intelligent Pin Trading Station is able to process voice and video inputs, supporting real-time interaction in English, Italian, French and Chinese.
By eliminating the language barrier between athletes, the Intelligent Pin Trading Station served as a unifying hub for athletes to engage with one another and enjoy the age-old tradition of pin trading like never before.
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A look at Alibaba Cloud's Intelligent Pin Trading Station at Milano Cortina 2026
Video credit: Alibaba
How exactly does it work?
Athletes place their own pin into a capsule and insert it into the station. Driven by the Qwen model, a robotic arm interacts with the athlete to select a new capsule left by a previous participant.
There are three different methods by which the athletes could interact with the cloud-based AI. First, voice recognition, with real-time AI commands allowing athletes and the pin trading station to communicate in multiple languages.
An alternative mode of communication is gesture recognition, with simple hand movements guiding the cloud-based AI arm, a useful alternative for those who do not speak the four supported languages.
And a favourite among the athletes was the rock-paper-scissors mode, in which the user goes head-to-head with the Alibaba cloud AI to trigger the pin exchange, adding an element of jeopardy.
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Olympic pins in Alibaba Cloud's Intelligent Pin Trading Station - Credit: Alibaba
Image credit: Other Agency
Also popular, was the 'pin of the day' mechanism. A specific pin was selected each day and placed inside a distinctive red pin ball. Athletes would then compete for the highly-coveted special edition pin, adding a brand-new element and high-stakes element to traditional pin trading.
The innovation was hugely popular among athletes in the Olympic Village. The Intelligent Pin Trading Station recorded nearly 8,000 visits, with many of the 1,500 residents in the Olympic village, which included around 900 athletes, returning multiple times for new drops.
And in the age of athletes documenting their ventures through social media, the Intelligent Pin Trading Station was amplified by those posting vlogs and social media stories, with the whole world able to see the latest advancement of one of the most beloved traditions of the Olympic Games.
Alibaba Cloud has ensured the process feels warm and personal, with each pin capsule including a personalised "good luck" note. Similar to that of a fortune cookie, the small, heartwarming and uplifting notes enclosed with each pin wished athletes luck and served as emotional support during the high-pressure fortnight at the Winter Olympics.
And the unity among athletes, aided by the Intelligent Pin Trading Station, was clear to see. Spontaneous friendships blossomed when athletes discovered with whom they had traded their pins, sparking hugs and photos - the renowned "Olympic spirit" in full motion.
Nearby the station, there was also a physical wall coated with handwritten wishes and blessings in an array of languages, a sign that the technological advancements in no way diminished the human connection in the Olympic Village.
The station - in operation throughout the Winter Olympics and Paralympics - also received a visit from International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry, who was blown away by how cloud-based AI interaction refreshed a tradition which spans back to her career as a double Olympic gold medallist.
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Popularity of Alibaba Cloud's Intelligent Pin Trading Station at Milano Cortina 2026
Image credit: Other Agency
"I had already heard about it! That is really cool," Coventry said. "I think it is a really good plan. Athletes will be able to come and see different pins from around the world and exchange pins with each other, so I think it’s great."
The unifying and strong community vibes the Intelligent Pin Trading Station brought to the Olympic Village showed technological advancements should not be feared as a means to alienate communities, but rather leveraged to bridge gaps created by limitations such as language barriers, while revitalising traditions in a new, fun and modern way.
At Milano Cortina 2026, Alibaba Cloud is demonstrating that the future of the Olympics is not just faster and stronger, but also more connected and more human.
And that is why Alibaba's innovations represent more than just the latest technological advancements. Instead, this use of cloud-based AI helped sport become more connected, and more intelligent than ever before.
The assurance that the progression of technology is implemented with the interest of athletes' personal connection at the forefront of its priorities - just as it was during Milano Cortina 2026 - only serves as an encouraging sign for the future relationship between sport and cloud-based AI.
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