HANGZHOU, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 10, 2025--
Ant Group today announced the extension of its successful partnership with Qinwen Zheng, the rising tennis legend and Olympic gold medalist. This renewed collaboration underscores the shared commitment to striving for excellence, while inspiring and engaging young people together.
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“I am excited to continue my partnership with Ant Group as a brand ambassador,” said Zheng. “Ant Group's unwavering commitment to inclusivity and equal development opportunities for diverse groups, particularly women and teenagers, aligns perfectly with my values. I look forward to our next chapter together to inspire even more young people to pursue their dreams.”
In 2024, Zheng made history by winning the gold medal in women's singles at the Paris Olympics, becoming the first Asian tennis player to secure an Olympic singles title. Her perseverance, courage, and optimistic spirit on the court make her a role model for younger generations.
So far, Zheng has amassed four WTA Tour titles, one WTA Challenger title, and eight ITF singles titles, and was honored as the 2022 WTA Newcomer of the Year. She also contested a major final at the 2024 Australian Open.
“Over the past two years, Qinwen Zheng’s remarkable achievements have encouraged young people not only in China but around the world,” said Ray Chan, Chief Marketing Officer of Ant Group and Vice Chairman of Ant Foundation. “Through this renewed partnership and leveraging our innovative technologies and platforms, we will further promote equal and sustainable development opportunities for youth across rural and urban areas, motivating and supporting them to pursue their dreams in sport and beyond.”
Ant Group initiated its partnership with Zheng in 2022. Prior to that, Ant Group also named Wang Shuang, a top female footballer, as another brand ambassador and together inspire teenagers playing football in rural areas to chase their dreams.
About Ant Group
Ant Group traces its roots back to Alipay, which was established in 2004 to create trust between online sellers and buyers. Over the years, Ant Group has grown to become one of the world's leading open Internet platforms. Through technological innovation, Ant Group supports its partners in providing inclusive, convenient digital life and digital financial services to consumers and SMEs. In addition, it has been introducing new technologies and products to support the digital transformation of industries and facilitate industrial collaboration. Working together with global partners, the company enables merchants and consumers to make and receive payments and remit around the world.
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NFL has moved the Rams' wild-card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings to Arizona after days of devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
The game will be played Monday night at State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals, in suburban Glendale.
The league announced the decision Thursday, a few hours after yet another fire broke out in an area several miles from the Rams' training complex in the Woodland Hills neighborhood. The Rams canceled the post-practice media availability for their players to allow everyone to get home quickly.
In a brief statement, the league said the decision was made “in the interest of public safety.”
Los Angeles has been besieged by multiple wildfires all week following two days of extraordinary wind across the vast metropolitan area. The newest fire triggered an evacuation order in West Hills, a suburban neighborhood directly northwest of the Rams' complex. The Kenneth Fire ballooned in size — charring over a square mile — within hours of igniting.
More than 10,000 structures burned in the two largest fires, the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades and the Eaton Fire near Pasadena.
While none of the fires was burning near SoFi Stadium in Inglewood — which is southwest of downtown Los Angeles — the NFL opted to move the game amid concerns about air quality, the strain put on the community and the possible demands on police and fire department personnel.
The Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers — who will play a wild-card game at Houston on Saturday — both practiced outdoors this week, but both teams' coaches were concerned about the air quality, with Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh cutting his players' normal outdoor time in half.
The Rams will travel to Phoenix on Friday after their early-afternoon practice in Woodland Hills, the team confirmed late Thursday. They will hold practice Saturday at the Cardinals’ complex in Tempe.
The Los Angeles area will be at a high fire risk through Friday, the National Weather Service announced.
A few hours before the Kenneth Fire broke out near the Rams' training complex, coach Sean McVay said he was optimistic the game could be played at SoFi Stadium as scheduled, while realizing uncertainty was unavoidable.
“We would like to be able to play the game at home in front of our fans,” McVay said. “That’s the way that we’re operating, but I can’t control when that decision will be made. ... If it’s not in LA, then the game will still be played, and we’ve got to be able to get ready for that.”
Game relocations are very rare in the NFL, but not unprecedented.
In 2003, the league moved a Monday night regular-season game between the Chargers and Dolphins from San Diego to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe to avoid wildfires in Southern California.
The Rams had a Monday night game against Kansas City relocated from Mexico City to Los Angeles in 2018 because of concerns about the playing surface at Azteca Stadium, and McVay cited that experience as part of his preparation for the uncertainty created this week.
“You acknowledge these things, but you also want to make sure that how you can control making sure that you’re doing the right things is preparing accordingly, while also being mindful that this is bigger than football,” McVay said. “If people you’re directly involved with are affected, you’re making sure you’re tending to that first.”
The relocation won't have much effect on the traveling Vikings, while the Rams weren't overly concerned about missing out on the comforts of home. Like most NFL teams, the Rams stay in a hotel on the night before home games to ensure a restful night of sleep.
Before the Kenneth Fire broke out, McVay said no Rams players or coaches had been forced to move or had lost anything to the fire, although some team personnel had been affected.
“We've lost power where I am for a couple of days," quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “We've been lucky in that regard, that (loss of) power is the worst thing that's happened to us. Obviously it's a tough thing to watch on the news, to be around, to see. Driving around, seeing all that, it's just really sad to see what's going on. A bunch of people (are) doing everything they possibly can to try and get things under control and get people back to normal as quickly as possible.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Smokes from a wildfire rises over the Los Angeles Rams NFL football practice facility in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Greg Beacham)
