New AI-driven platform empowers users to launch and manage professional competitions with a single natural language prompt
SHANGHAI, April 1, 2026 -- Orange Lion Sports(previously known as Alibaba Sports), a global leader in digital sports services, has unveiled the industry's first AI-powered event ops assistant within its Smartshot intelligent solution suite. Powered by the Qwen 3.5 model, the assistant leverages generative AI to achieve "one-sentence event hosting," automating complex tournament setups from natural-language prompts. This innovation addresses critical industry bottlenecks—such as high entry barriers and cumbersome manual workflows—triggering a pivotal "Agent Moment" for sports operations where intelligent systems manage end-to-end administrative logistics.
At the core is a virtual tournament director tool designed to eliminate reliance on manual forms and fragmented backend systems. The new AI Tournament Assistant interprets conversational instructions with precision; users can simply input a natural-language request—such as "set up a junior tennis tournament for 200 players, using ATP rules, with U10 through U14 divisions"—or upload a PDF rulebook. Through an interactive dialogue, the assistant clarifies key details and generates a comprehensive tournament framework within minutes, including match schedules, registration portals, and scoring protocols. This prompt-based workflow compresses days of administrative labor into minutes, drastically reducing the resources required to launch an event.
The assistant also creates an end-to-end management system spanning the entire event lifecycle. Organizers can oversee registration, scheduling, and data archiving from a single dashboard. The company's computer vision system using multiple camera feeds is integrated with the AI assistant, allowing real-time data, including scores and player movement, to be captured and ingested into the platform. As the official digital partner of the Chinese Tennis Association (CTA), Orange Lion Sports has synchronized the platform with the association's national database. Tournament results affecting player rankings are automatically verified and synced, making updated standings available immediately following the final match. Additionally, the platform leverages generative AI to automatically produce event highlight reels, driving digital visibility and audience engagement.
To date, Smartshot has been deployed across more than 120 courts throughout China, serving over 10 million users. The company plans to evolve the system into a fully autonomous AI agent by 2026. With the launch of the AI event operations Assistant, Orange Lion Sports is pivoting the industry beyond digital record-keeping toward AI-driven event generation, providing a highly efficient platform that supports China's national fitness initiatives.
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