has signed a 12-year partnership with the organisers of the Olympics to provide cloud and e-commerce services to the games, the Chinese technology giant announced Thursday.

Through the partnership, Alibaba will provide cloud services to the International Olympic Committee to help the Games operate "more efficiently", including supporting big data analytics, according to a press release.

The two organizations will also create an e-commerce platform to sell Olympic-branded goods.

Alibaba will also optimize the Olympics Channel – an internet video streaming service – for a Chinese audience.

The partnership will run until 2028 and include the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018.

"Alibaba's partnership with the IOC is built on a foundation of shared values and a common vision for connecting the world and enriching people's lives," Jack Ma, executive chairman of Alibaba, said in a press release.

