Singapore, July 30, 2025 - World Aquatics has appointed Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, as the Global Exclusive Cloud Supplier, in a strategic partnership that will drive long-term digital transformation for World Aquatics.

For the first time in history, the core systems of an International Sports Federation such as World Aquatics will be fully migrated to the cloud, leveraging Alibaba Cloud’s proven expertise in cloud computing and AI technologies.

The collaboration will run from 2025 through to 2028 and will be activated across all World Aquatics events, including multiple World Aquatics Championships, World Cup cycles, as well as on all World Aquatics’ digital platforms.

“This is a significant step forward for World Aquatics,” said World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam.

“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.”By World Aquatics President Al Musallam

“We are thrilled to reach this significant milestone in collaboration with World Aquatics,” said Selina Yuan, President of International Business at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence

“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."By Selina Yuan, President of International Business at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence

As part of the agreement, Alibaba Cloud will deliver a full suite of cloud services and AI-driven solutions to support World Aquatics’ global digital operations and data strategy. Additionally, the partnership aims to help create a more connected global aquatics family online, driving World Aquatics’ broader vision of “a world united by water, for health, life and sport.”

Key initiatives include:

• Migrating the next-generation World Aquatics General Management System (GMS) to Alibaba Cloud to better serve global national federations and athletes.
• Launching a brand-new web platform and mobile application for all athletes, coaches and fans
• Supplying a scalable and secure cloud environment for the World Aquatics digital ecosystem
• Developing a Customer Data Platform to understand the different audiences of World Aquatics better and provide them with more customised services and solutions
• Integrating Alibaba Cloud’s AI technology across different platforms and solutions to secure better efficiency and process optimisation

By bringing digital architecture and intelligence into one integrated environment, the partnership will enhance World Aquatics’ capability to serve athletes, coaches, clubs and all of its stakeholders more effectively.