Samsung Electronics, the world's largest handset maker, struck a deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Sunday to officially sponsor the Olympic Games until 2020, the South Korean company said.

Under the deal, Samsung will sponsor South Korea's PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018 and the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020 by supplying a wide range of devices including smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops for athletes and other participants.

IOC President Thomas Bach and Lee Jae-yong, the vice chairman of Samsung Electronics and the heir apparent of Samsung Group, attended the signing ceremony held in Nanjing, China.

"We are pleased to have the opportunity to sponsor Olympic Games until 2020," Lee Young-hee, the head of Samsung Electronics'

global marketing for mobile communications, said. "We will contribute to the global festival by developing IT and wireless technology."

The tech giant has been an official partner of the Olympic Games for wireless telecommunications equipment since the Nagano Olympic Winter Games in 1998. (Yonhap)