Image credit: Getty Images
Milan-Cortina 2026 brought together venues across northern Italy in one of the most geographically complex Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games to date – a vast stretch of land that included remote alpine venues, stadia and historical cities.
During the opening ceremony, International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Giovanni Malagò quoted the composer Gustav Mahler. “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire,” he said. The sentiment captured the balance organisers were trying to strike in Milan Cortina, preserving Olympic traditions while introducing a cutting-edge digital infrastructure to run the Games.
Covering an area of more than 22,000 square kilometres, this presented a challenge. How do you deliver live broadcasts and coordinate logistics to support thousands of athletes, officials and media? It required an extensive digital infrastructure capable of managing data, video and operations in real time, regardless of location.
This modernisation was only made possible by the cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) systems designed to support broadcasting, transport management and event operations. These tools helped organisers manage the complexity of the Games while reducing physical infrastructure and improving efficiency. As IOC president Kirsty Coventry said during the opening ceremony, “we are all connected.” Historically and now digitally.
Live cloud-based video
One of the most visible examples of this infrastructure was in broadcasting. The OBS Live Cloud Platform, powered by Alibaba Cloud, supported the production and distribution of 442 live video feeds for 42 broadcasters covering the Games.
This approach also changed the physical footprint of broadcast operations. The International Broadcasting Centre (IBC) for Milan-Cortina 2026 was 25 per cent smaller than the facility used during Beijing 2022 and around 30 per cent smaller than the one built for Pyeongchang 2018. Moving production, storage and distribution into cloud environments reduced the amount of hardware required on site, while still allowing broadcasters to edit, process and distribute footage for global audiences.
Additional tools were used to support production teams working across the Games. Alibaba Cloud’s Real-Time 360° Replay system allowed rights holders to access slow-motion replays and highlights from multiple camera angles during competitions. Over the course of Milan Cortina 2026, media rights holders were provided with access to 4,198 video highlights created through the system.
Alongside this, the Automatic Media Description system, powered by Alibaba’s Qwen large language models, processed livestream signals from 391 competition sessions. The system helped OBS teams to automatically identify athletes and key moments, generate event descriptions and tag video assets within seconds, significantly reducing manual processing time. This means the OBS team can search and organise video material more efficiently, allowing it to locate specific moments from competitions and integrate them into digital content more quickly.
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Uphill and downhill logistics challenge
Beyond broadcasting, cloud-based systems also supported the operational management of the Games. Milan-Cortina 2026 took place across multiple mountain and urban venues spread across northern Italy, creating a logistical challenge for organisers responsible for moving athletes, officials, volunteers and media between locations.
To support this, a Transportation Management System built on Alibaba Cloud connected venues and transport services across the Games. Through the Milan-Cortina 2026 Transport App, athletes and Olympic staff were able to access personalised journey planning and real-time updates for official transport services. During the Games, the system supported mobility planning for more than 80,000 Olympic stakeholders.
Other operational services also relied on cloud infrastructure. An e-voucher system was used to distribute meals to thousands of accredited participants, while a meteorological services portal provided real-time weather information to competition organisers managing outdoor events across alpine venues.
A Video Adjudication system, based on low-latency livestreaming technology, was also introduced to assist referees in reviewing competition footage and resolving scoring decisions in freestyle skiing and snowboard slopestyle events.
The Intelligent Pin Trading Station allowed athletes to exchange pins using AI (Image credit: Alibaba)
AI and sustainability
Sustainability monitoring formed another part of the Games’ digital infrastructure. Energy Data Management systems were deployed across competition venues to monitor electricity usage and carbon emissions in real time. The system allowed organisers to analyse energy consumption patterns during the Games and identify potential anomalies through an Energy Issue Tracking System designed to flag and resolve irregularities in power demand.
These tools were supported by a broader sustainability platform that allowed organisers to assess the lifecycle footprint of Milan-Cortina 2026. By combining energy data from venues with operational information, organisers were able to build a clearer picture of how energy was being used across different parts of the event.
AI was also used to support a range of information services within the Olympic ecosystem. Alibaba Cloud’s Qwen large language models powered several systems, including the Olympic AI Assistant and the NOC AI Assistant, which helped users retrieve information and manage digital content across the Games’ platforms.
In the Milan Olympic Village, AI technology was also used to support a modern version of one of the Games’ more informal traditions – pin trading. The Intelligent Pin Trading Station allowed athletes to exchange pins using an AI-powered system capable of recognising voice commands and visual inputs. Participants placed their pins into a capsule, and a robotic arm selected another pin from the system, creating a digital exchange inspired by a longstanding Olympic custom. During the Games, more than 8,000 pin exchanges took place through the station.
For organisers of global sporting events, Milan-Cortina 2026 provided a clear demonstration of how digital infrastructure is changing the way major competitions are delivered.
“These have been truly successful Games that surpassed everyone’s expectations,” said Coventry.
The role cloud-based systems and digital infrastructure played in that cannot be underestimated.
As international sporting events continue to expand across multiple venues and cities, the ability to coordinate operations through cloud platforms is becoming increasingly important. From broadcasting and media production to transport planning and energy monitoring, the technologies used at Milan-Cortina offer a model for how future Games and other major events may be delivered.
Cloud, and increasingly AI, are becoming fundamental tools in helping organisers manage the scale and complexity of modern sporting events and staying connected.
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