International Basketball Association (IBA) Secretary General and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member Patrick Baumann on Saturday welcomed a delegation from the Alibaba Group, China's biggest online commerce company. The deputation was headed by its Executive Chairman, Jack Ma. 

The two parties held productive talks as they look to team up in the best possible way to promote basketball in China and worldwide, as they make plans for the 2019 Basketball World Cup.

Dazhong Zhang, CEO of the Alibaba Sports Group, Ali Sports, said, "We are working together on the development of a long-term partnership to promote the sport of basketball globally. We certainly hope that today's dialogue between Alibaba and FIBA will help to establish a global strategy in the future."

“Mr Ma and and Mr Baumann reached an understanding that promoting the sport to young people today will provide a better tomorrow for future generations. The Alibaba online platforms and extensive network of partners and consumers can become an essential tool to achieve that," he added. 

Alibaba, Ali Sports and FIBA will continue their discussions in the upcoming days to finalize a strategic, long-term comprehensive partnership on a number of topics across FIBA's various assets in Europe, Asia and worldwide.

Source: FIBA

Proofread by John Devlin