The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has pivoted to Chinese tech giant TCL as its new home audiovisual sponsor through 2032, ending a 40-year partnership with Japan’s Panasonic. This eight-year deal spans four Olympic Games, underscoring Asia’s shifting corporate influence in global sports partnerships amid Japan’s TOP program exodus.
TCL’s contract covers the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games, 2032 Brisbane Olympics, Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Games, and 2030 French Alps Winter Olympics. While financial specifics remain undisclosed, the IOC confirmed TCL will contribute cash, AI resources, and appliances ranging from smart displays to Olympic Village refrigerators.
TCL will enable new visual experiences through innovations like RayNeo smart glasses and venue projection systems,stated the IOC from Beijing’s iconic Water Cube venue.
The deal follows three major Japanese exits last year:
- Panasonic (founding TOP member since 1985)
- Toyota
- Bridgestone
These departures followed the pandemic-disrupted Tokyo 2020 Games, which reportedly strained sponsor relations. Collectively, Japanese firms contributed over $400 million annually during the 2017-2021 cycle – 20% of the TOP program’s $2B revenue.
TCL now faces pressure to fill this void while advancing the IOC’s tech goals:
AI Exploration | Games organizers seek machine learning tools to enhance spectator analytics and venue operations. TCL’s supply chain could streamline equipment logistics across multiple host nations.
Smart Venue Legacy | The Chinese firm will outfit Olympic sites with interconnected devices – from biometric door locks in athletes’ housing to real-time scoreboards. This infrastructure often remains post-Games as community tech hubs.
With sponsorships increasingly tied to geopolitical alliances, analysts suggest this shift reflects China’s soft power expansion. As Western brands dominate UEFA and NBA partnerships, Beijing-backed corporations are leveraging mega-events to rival Japan’s fading Olympic legacy.
