Last Thursday, the 19th, at the headquarters of the Secretary of State for Sport and Leisure of Rio de Janeiro, secretary Rafael Picciani received a group of thirteen athletes, trainers, coaches and professionals from different categories involved in the development of eSports in Rio.
Among the guidelines, topics such as public policies for eSports; eSports and Education; new professions; High Performance eSports, infrastructure and public equipment for eSports; diversity in eSports, school and university eSports; high performance competitions; peace and development through electronic sports.
eSports have been causing several discussions and stirring up the gaming market and attracting legions of young people and adults all over the world. Despite the declarations of the current Minister of Sports, Ana Moser, and aware of the relevance that the modality has been reaching, the Secretary of State for Sport and Leisure of Rio de Janeiro opened a dialogue with representatives of the segment.
During the meeting, it was agreed to create a Working Group to assess how the government can help to promote the sector. The group also exposed expressive data and suggestions on how the public power can bring benefits to the population of Rio de Janeiro, such as the generation of jobs in various segments of the labor market, the technical training of adolescents, among others.
Also participating in the meeting was Luciana Nunes, a psychologist who works in the eSports area and who worked on the Rio 2016 committee. “This opportunity is very important. My hope is to bring and use the eSports tool as a means of transformation, peace and development for communities. eSports have the ability to engage students and keep them in school. Our reality has changed a long time ago and we need to understand”, he said.
Among the other participants were: Ewerton Panda (CEO of the Empire DC team and promoter of e-Sports), Carlos Gama (Assespro -Associations of Brazilian Information Technology Companies), Paulo Mendes (Public Policies in eSports), Ingrid Souza (eSports and education), Marianna Muniz (New Professions), Luiz Costa (High Performance eSports), Daniel Ciesla (Infrastructure and Public Equipment for e-Sports), Nayla Cristina (Diversity in e-Sports), Michel Assed (School and University eSports ), Matheus Raposo and Lucas Ribeiro (High Performance Competitions), and Luciana Nunes (Peace and Development through eSports).
More about eSports
Across the planet, several countries already regulate eSports. Some even started to regulate related professions. This is the case of South Korea, China and Japan, which not only recognize the modality, but transform related disciplines into regulated professions. Other countries such as Malaysia, Russia and Finland already recognize eSports and Germany is negotiating with the government.
In Brazil, electronic sport is still not recognized by the Ministry of Sport. There are bills pending in Congress that seek, through proposals for defining the concept of the category, the identification of players as athletes, recognition in the national sports scene (PL Federal – Senado – 383-2017, PL Federal – Câmara Deputados – 3540 /2015, Federal PL – Chamber of Deputies – 7747-2017, State PL – SP Assembly – 1512-2015 SP).
Electronic sports have organized competitions, with clear and determined rules, within a professional development scenario; the relationship between the athletes and the teams complies with the provisions of law 9.615/98 (Lei Pelé) which deals with professional athletes.
The Ministry of Labor and Employment already recognizes its players as athletes, with the granting of specific passports for competing in competitions in the country; there are projects based on the sports incentive law directly related to electronic sports, which demonstrates a direction of government agencies to understand e-Sports as a sport.
Parallel activities
n the same week, there was also a meeting to regulate Law 7696/2022 that creates the eSports Incentive Program in the city of Rio de Janeiro.
Law, which was sanctioned by Mayor Eduardo Paes on December 8, 2022, creates the Rio Janeiro Electronic Sports Program – RIO GAMES E ESPORTS.
Text in full:
“Law Nº 7.696, of December 8, 2022. Creates the Electronic Sports Program of Rio de Janeiro – Rio Games Esports and makes other provisions.
Author: Councilman Vitor Hugo.
THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF RIO DE JANEIRO
I make it known that the City Council decrees and I sanction the following law:
Art. 1st The Rio de Janeiro Electronic Sports Program – Rio Games E-sports is created.
Single paragraph. For the purposes of this Law, electronic sports are defined as educational sports activities in which two or more participants or teams compete in game modalities developed with resources from information and communication technologies.
Art. 2nd The purpose of the program is to promote the necessary infrastructure to hold electronic sports events with the main objective of using education and technology as strategies for digital inclusion and the training of young people with competitive potential in different sports. electronic, aiming at their intellectual and cultural sports development.
Single paragraph. The program will not encourage modalities that promote messages of hate, prejudice, discrimination of any kind or advocate drug use.
Art. 3rd VETOED: I – VETOED; II – VETOED; III – VETOED.
Art. 4 The Executive Branch may enter into agreements with sporting entities that aim to implement the objectives of this Law.
Art. 5th VETOED.
Art. 6 This Law enters into force on the date of its publication”.
