Alibaba.com training athletes in business
Alibaba.com is bringing Olympians and commerce together through its partnership with the IOC (International Olympic Committee) that offers e-commerce training and mentorship opportunities to former athletes and sports people.
This is the fourth time Alibaba.com has been a partner in the Athlete365 Business Accelerator program that aims to equip current and former professional athletes with the skills needed to create and manage their own businesses.
The scheme is designed to build participants’ knowledge of business-critical areas such as the use of AI tools, global sourcing and B2B export through digital marketplaces. Kuo Zhang, president of Alibaba.com, told Retail Insider that this is part of a partnership with the IOC dating back to 2017 during which it has sought to help the organisation digitise and provide greater access through the internet.
Research involving 400 athletes found 63% of former athletes find it difficult to find a new career after sport and interestingly as many as 76% believe they have transferable skills relevant for business. Many have the traits of successful entrepreneurs. This has prompted the involvement of Alibaba.com and the Accelerator initiative.
“Athletes, known for their courage, determination, and positive mind-set in sports, bring these same essential traits to the business world. Their focus and resilience give them an edge as entrepreneurs. We at Alibaba.com are keen to support athletes in harnessing their skills to achieve success in their entrepreneurial pursuits,” says Zhang.
Through the programme, Alibaba.com is aiming to empower more than 1,000 global athletes and former athletes with training. In addition, it will also offer 50 promising candidates Business Accelerator packages worth $10,000, which will provide a combination of logistics, operational and sourcing training and credit to help candidates unlock long-term, sustainable growth opportunities.
There are a growing number of examples of individuals who have successfully transitioned from sport to entrepreneurship and among them are the Alibaba.com Global Ambassadors including: Tony Parker, a two-time Olympian; Elias Schwärzler, a professional mountain biker; and Simona Galik Moore, a former professional tennis player.
Alongside its involvement with the Accelerator programme Alibaba.com also announced this week the launch of an AI-powered conversational sourcing engine that will make the global sourcing process for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) more intuitive and efficient.
It synthesises vast quantities of information, interprets sourcing needs using natural language processing, matches buyers with products and suppliers with greater accuracy, and provides advanced tools for seamless sourcing decision-making.
Glynn Davis, editor, Retail Insider