World Rugby, the international governing body of rugby union, has inked a 10 year deal with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd in a bid to increase popularity of rugby in the world's most populous nation.      

The deal between World Rugby and Alisports - Alibaba's new sports division - gives Alisports exclusive rights to broadcast rugby content, create online rugby stores and invest in World Rugby's grassroots initiatives.

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The deal, which the world's rugby governing body has touted as "groundbreaking," was unveiled on Sunday at the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens tournament. However, no financial terms were revealed during unveiling of the deal.

"With global participation having doubled to 7.7 million since rugby was re-admitted into the Olympic Games programme in 2009, this deal will ensure an unprecedented platform for rugby to reach, engage and inspire new participants across China," World Rugby Chairman Bernard Lapasset said in a statement.

Zhang Dazhong, Alisports CEO, said that he hopes this deal gives a platform to all budding rugby players in China to showcase their talent.

"We encourage young people to join rugby to cultivate the spirit of being strong-willed, aggressive, acquisitive and unified," Alisports CEO Zhang Dazhong said.          

This is the first major deal in rugby for Alisports, which was incorporated only last year. Since its inception, Alisports has inked deals with many big clubs and stars in football, basketball and the NFL. This includes European football giants Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and NBA basketball star Kobe Bryant.

China is one of the world's most lucrative sport markets, and sporting leagues across the world ae vying to expand their presence in the country.

TagsAlibaba, china, Rugby, Jack Ma