The Olympics through AI: A new chapter of fan participation for Milano Cortina 2026
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In partnership with
Alibaba
ByTNT UK
Published 18/03/2026 at 13:42 GMT
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Alibaba Cloud invited sports fans across the entire globe to bring their imagination to life and give themselves the chance to have their bold ideas showcased at the Olympic Museum and at Clubhouse 26 Milano, an official hospitality space of Milano Cortina 2026, throughout February 2026.
A look at Alibaba Cloud's Intelligent Pin Trading Station at Milano Cortina 2026
Video credit: Alibaba
In an unprecedented and innovative move for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Alibaba's Wan AI technology pushed fan engagement to new heights, with the support of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Alibaba's campaign - Your Epic Vibe - mirrored the "IT's your vibe" motto carried throughout Milano Cortina 2026, and invited fans from every continent to produce Cloud-based AI-generated videos expressing their unique Winter Olympic vibe.
In a first-ever AI-based creative competition open to global fans, it was a successful response to the IOC's call to engage and unite Winter Olympics fans, with participants from over 120 countries, garnering more than 15,000 submissions.
IOC president Kirsty Coventry helped to promote the project, as the double Olympic gold medallist explained just how fans engaging with Your Epic Vibe helps to share the Olympic spirit.
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Your Epic Vibe artwork. Credit: Alibaba
Image credit: Other Agency
- Watch IOC president Kirsty Coventry speak about the Your Epic Vibe campaign by clicking here.
"The Olympic spirit comes to life through the passion and creativity of people everywhere," Coventry said. "Not only through the athletes, but the fans from all around the globe who bring their own energy to the games.
"With Alibaba’s Cloud AI initiative for Milano Cortina, you can share your own Winter Games vibe, because it’s your vibe. Together, we’re connecting people, bridging cultures and celebrating our shared Olympic values. So keep creating, keep sharing.
"Your voice, your vision, your vibe are all a part of our Olympic story. Thank you for inspiring the Olympic movement with your story."
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'That's awesome' - IOC president Coventry tests Alibaba Cloud's intelligent pin trading station
Video credit: Alibaba
AI as the new Olympic language
The easy-to-use, accessible nature of AI made it the perfect tool for Alibaba to digitally unite the world and harness creativity for Milano Cortina 2026.
Your Epic Vibe was particularly successful in activating the minds of young people.
By using AI, financial and logistical barriers were eradicated, thus ensuring a level playing field between participants and allowing their ideas come to life.
For example, Alibaba's Cloud AI initiative meant factors such as cameras and a suitable filming location would not stand in the way of young people, who may not have a sizeable budget, getting involved in the competition and making them a part of the Olympic conversation.
In this way, Alibaba's technology emotionally connected fans from all walks of life to Milano Cortina 2026. By getting involved and showcasing breathing life into their Olympic vibe, they empowered not only themselves, but the athletes too, who thrive off the excitement generated amongst those watching.
By the numbers: A truly global movement
The accessibility of the project proved a catalyst for huge levels of participation.
The 20-day global competition accepted entries between January 6 and January 26. In this time, a staggering 15,759 submissions were made. Of which, 10,072 were valid entries.
It was also evident that the historic AI-based initiative inspired people of all generations, all across the world.
What's more, Alibaba's campaign garnered participants from 127 countries. And the age range of those who submitted an entry ranged all the way from seven years old to 79.
These statistics show how Alibaba managed to engage the entire globe with not only the campaign, but Milano Cortina 2026 as a whole, with thousands of people from varying cultures, languages and ages coming together in a creative manner.
The numbers also show how the accessibility of Alibaba Cloud Wan AI technology encouraged mass fan participation, enabling the ideas of the young, elderly, and everyone of all genders and communities to come to life.
Stories Behind the AI: Fans reimagining the Winter Games
So how did the participants showcase their Winter Olympic vibe using Alibaba's Cloud Wan AI technology?
Hundreds of captivating and emotional stories were brought to life through AI, which captured the Olympic spirit and everything that makes the Games so special.
Here, we will showcase three authors whose stories made a big impression with their thought-provoking and unifying narratives.
Jion used AI technology to focus on the age-old question in Winter Olympic sports. How do athletes from hot regions train for sports that require snow-covered mountaintops, and just how much of a disadvantage can their climate prove to pose.
Inspired by real events and the film Cool Runnings, Jion's project takes the visual and kinetic similarities between sand dunes and snow tracks as its point of departure, imagining a training pathway that leads from the desert to the snowy mountains.
The film focuses on a young boy practicing alpine skiing on sand, lingering on the moment just before he steps onto the starting line of competition. It does not aim to tell a miracle story, but rather to reveal an overlooked possibility.
Your Epic Vibe poster. Credit: Alibaba
Image credit: Other Agency
Shantel Tmupatsi, meanwhile, submitted 'Crystal Dream' - a story of an indomitable small girl who represents the dreams of thousands of children who have never seen real snow but still imagine themselves skating on the ice.
"I wish this dancing girl would show the world that African children have dreams too, dreams that sparkle just like ice," Tmupatsi said.
Matty Mardan, meanwhile, eloquently approached the difficult balance of celebrating Milano Cortina 2026 while recognising the urgent reality of climate change.
As Mardan explains, the film conveys three truths: Olympic glory is built on nature’s gift - the snow and ice we too often take for granted. Climate change isn’t distant - it’s already threatening the very foundation of winter sports. We cannot control nature; we can only protect it.
Mardan's project urges viewers to engage with the reality of the climate situation and society's responsibility to protect the natural beauty which allows the Winter Olympics to be the great global event it is today.
Through these compelling entries, Alibaba's competition showed AI is not a tool used to replace human emotion, but rather amplifies it, and provides people with a tool in order to communicate these stories in a universal language.
How fan creation shaped the Olympic movement
Alibaba's Wan AI technology allowed fans to put themselves at the very forefront of the Winter Olympic movement, with the top 100 entries unveiled on the day of the opening ceremony at Milano Cortina 2026.
It marked an unprecedented stride forward which positioned the creativity of fans as part of the official Olympic opening moment.
As you can see by clicking here, the top 100 entries reached a wide-ranging audience, bringing the diverse range of participants into the Olympic movement by showcasing their stories.
And this is only just the start. In an age where fan engagement is more paramount than ever, with social media playing a big part in that process, Alibaba has pushed for a major innovation in the way sporting events and organisations can harness the power of their audiences, and has opened the door to this being a regular feature for future events.
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Coventry being presented the top 100 entries at Alibaba's Wonder on Ice exhibition on February 7 by Joe Tsai - chairman of Alibaba Group. Credit: Alibaba
Image credit: Other Agency
The top 100 entries were presented to IOC president Coventry at Alibaba's Wonder on Ice exhibition on February 7, showing the power of the audience's voice, engaging with the very pinnacle of the Olympic organisation.
Legacy beyond the Games
Your Epic Vibe not only gave fans the opportunity to be a part of the Milano Cortina 2026 narrative, but also write themselves into Winter Olympic history - just like the athletes they watch on their TV screens.
The winning entries to the competition will be immortalised, as they are collected by the Olympic Museum.
These winning works will be showcased in Lausanne, Switzerland, Clubhouse 26 in Milan, the Alibaba Showcase in Milan and Hangzhou, China.
It's yet another factor of Your Epic Vibe which allows fans to directly impact and be a part of the Olympic movement, and allow their stories to be seen all over the world as part of the Milano Cortina 2026 legacy.
Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage director Angelita Teo, who was a key member of the jury panel, was moved by the thought-provoking narratives from the entrants.
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Your Epic Vibe display in Clubhouse 26. Credit: Alibaba
Image credit: Other Agency
"What moved me most wasn’t the technology itself, but the humanity behind it," Teo said. "These works show that the Olympic spirit lives everywhere - across cultures, ages, and borders. AI simply gave those voices a way to be seen."
And alongside Teo on the panel, Raffaella Paniè said the innovative campaign saw engagement with the Olympics like never before.
"I’ve never seen an Olympic interactive project align so perfectly with our values while remaining so creatively fresh," Paniè said. "Thanks to Alibaba Cloud’s AI technology, the vision, visual identity, and spirit of these Games have reached - and truly resonated with - far more people than ever before."
And IOC president Coventry feels with more projects like this, sports fans across the world can continue to be united in a way which was never possible before these technological advancements, aided by Alibaba.
"The Olympic Games have always been about bringing the world together. With projects like Your Epic Vibe, we’re seeing how innovation can help more people not just watch the Games — but feel part of them."
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