Asian Games put China tech giants on podium after long crackdown

The ascendance of esports to a medal event at the Games comes after another lengthy official campaign, this one against video gaming, part of the larger tech crackdown. — AP

HANGZHOU: Alibaba was among the high-profile Chinese tech companies brought to heel by the ruling Communist Party, but the Asian Games in the firm's home city are proving to be a golden opportunity.

Co-founded by Jack Ma in Hangzhou nearly 25 years ago, the Games would probably grind to a halt without Alibaba because it runs the multisport extravaganza's cloud computing system.