Author | Huang Yu Editor | Wang Xiaojuan After 26 years of globalization, TCL has successfully entered the "core circle" of the world's top events. On February 20, the signing ceremony for TCL & Olympic Global Partner was held at the Water Cube in Beijing. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and TCL founder and chairman Li Dongsheng attended the ceremony and completed the signing, marking TCL's official status as an Olympic Global Partner. In future cooperation, TCL will provide technical, product, and service support for the Olympic Games in the fields of smart terminals and panel displays, primarily focusing on televisions, air conditioners, refrigerators, and washing machines. Li Dongsheng told Wall Street Insight that the Olympic Games symbolize globalization, and partnering with the Olympics is a key step for TCL to upgrade its globalization strategy and open a new chapter in globalization, representing a significant decision driven by its globalization strategy. It is understood that the Olympic Global Partner program, known as the "TOP program," is the highest level of partnership with the International Olympic Committee. Selected companies serve as the sole representatives in their respective fields, signing contracts directly with the International Olympic Committee for a four-year cycle, which includes the Summer, Winter, and Youth Olympic Games within that period. As a top event in the international sports arena, the Olympic Games have a huge influence. Companies joining the "TOP program" are considered to place their brands at the center of the global stage, leveraging the global exposure of the Olympics to enter emerging markets or consolidate existing market shares, and they can also obtain the right to use the "Olympic Global Partner" logo, significantly enhancing brand trust. Becoming an Olympic Global Partner is not easy, as obtaining this status represents the brand strength and influence of the company on a global scale. In the last Olympic cycle, only 16 companies worldwide became Olympic Global Partners, with Coca-Cola and Mengniu sharing one sponsorship seat. With TCL's addition, there are now three companies from China—Mengniu, Alibaba, and TCL—setting a new record for the number of Chinese companies becoming Olympic Global Partners. It is reported that whether a company's brand philosophy aligns with the Olympic spirit is an important consideration for becoming an Olympic Global Partner. According to Li Dongsheng, the Olympic spirit of "Faster, Higher, Stronger—More United" aligns perfectly with TCL's corporate spirit of transformation, innovation, pursuit of excellence, and daring to be extraordinary. Additionally, TCL's sports marketing gene is also a significant reason for its status as an Olympic Global Partner. In TCL's globalization development, the strategy of laying out top sports and entertainment IPs has played an important role in opening up global markets. Li Dongsheng explained that through a "global localization" marketing strategy, TCL fully integrates its brand with local cultures, accelerating penetration into global markets across various fields such as football, basketball, and rugby, creating a diversified and youthful sports IP matrix, while gradually upgrading from regional scattered IP collaborations to regional top IP collaborations For example, in Europe, the national teams of Spain, Italy, Germany, Poland, and Slovakia have become official partners of TCL, while also collaborating with the Premier League club Arsenal; in North America, TCL has signed on as the official partner of the NFL. In addition, in South America, TCL has almost monopolized all top football IPs, sponsoring the Brazilian men's and women's national football teams, referees of the Brazilian football league, and has been the global partner of the Copa Libertadores and the official partner of the Copa América for three consecutive editions; in Australia, TCL sponsors the AFL (Australian Football League). After becoming a global partner of the Olympics, TCL's sports marketing layout has now formed an overall linkage and synergy between global top IPs and regional top IPs. The identity of being an Olympic global partner will undoubtedly push TCL's globalization strategy into a new phase. Li Dongsheng pointed out that this cooperation will provide crucial support for TCL to build a world-class brand. "We not only need to explore global markets but also build global operational capabilities, resonating with global consumers on brand concepts and cultural levels." At the same time, Li Dongsheng stated that the identity of an Olympic global partner will also maximize our ability to continuously innovate in areas such as frontier displays, green low-carbon technologies, and AI applications, serving global users. "Many successful multinational companies have leveraged the Olympic platform to empower each other and reach new heights of development. I believe that with the momentum of Olympic cooperation, TCL can accelerate its goal of becoming a global leader and promote a higher level of globalization." Currently, TCL is laying out its core industries of smart terminals, semiconductor displays, and new energy photovoltaics through two industrial groups, TCL Industries and TCL Technology, with business coverage across more than 160 countries and regions, establishing a relatively complete global industrial chain and supply chain system. Data provided by TCL shows that from 2019 to 2023, TCL's overseas revenue grew from 59 billion yuan to 125.3 billion yuan, with an average annual growth of 17.6%. Currently, overseas product revenue accounts for nearly half of total revenue. In addition, TCL's television sales are expected to reach 29 million units in 2024, ranking second among global brands and first among Chinese brands, while TCL Huaxing's esports display sales rank first globally, and TCL Zhonghuan's photovoltaic chip sales also rank first globally. Li Dongsheng has always emphasized that "globalization is localization," which is key to TCL's rise to the top in the global TV and panel industries. A new round of Chinese enterprises going global has already begun, and as the elder brother of Chinese home appliance brands venturing abroad, TCL will undoubtedly serve as a model on this path. Li Dongsheng believes that sports marketing has become a key lever for Chinese companies to expand globally and build global brands. "From the early stages of brand building, TCL has defined sports marketing as an indispensable part of its brand strategy. We believe in the power of sports to transcend cultures and generations, inspiring and uniting people." With the establishment of its status as an Olympic global partner, TCL will promote an upgrade of its globalization strategy and achieve further leaps in the global market