The International Olympic Committee (IOC) presented nine games that will integrate the Olympic Esports Series 2023, an electronic sports event whose decisions will be made, for the first time in person, at the Olympic Esports Week, in Singapore, from 22 to 25 June. The advertised games are virtual simulators of traditional sports and/or involve physical activity.
The Olympic Esports Week will feature, in addition to the Olympic Esports Series finals, technology exhibitions, demo games and expert panel discussions. The full schedule will be announced in April.
“The IOC wants to work with international federations to support them in developing virtual forms of their sport. We decided to start by focusing on virtual physical sports, where, naturally, the greatest synergies lie”, declared the President of the IOC eSports and Gaming Group, David Lappartient, during a press conference.
“We believe it is very important to support the development of virtual sports in all areas, from the fan experience to the athletes, from game developers to sports federations. Our hope is that we can encourage, inspire and enable more people to experience and engage with sport, which is the primary aim of the IOC and the Olympic Movement,” said IOC Director of eSports Kit McConnell.
The IOC left “doors open” for other titles to become part of the Olympic Esports Series in the future, but stressed that it is necessary for there to be a federation representing the modality, which currently does not exist in the main electronic games, and that the Olympic values are present in the title. The president of the IOC, Thomas Bach, has said, on more than one occasion, that games with violent themes, such as shooting, are contrary to the Olympic values.
“Doors are open, [as long as] they reflect the Olympic values. The requirement to be part of the Olympic Esports Series is to have an international federation recognized by the IOC involved in partnership with the publisher. Obviously that can happen, we are more than happy to receive proposals that may come from game publishers that reflect the Olympic values. We are already in preliminary discussions with some of them, which may be announced in the next editions”, explained the head of virtual sports and games at the IOC, Vincent Pereira.
In 2022, IOC Director of Relations with the National Olympic Committees and Olympic Solidarity, James Macleod, rejected the possibility of including “games like League of Legends” in the Olympic schedule. On the other hand, the Asian Olympic Games, which should take place this year, will include eight games, such as LoL, DotA 2, FIFA and Street Fighter V, with medal distribution.
Olympic Esports Series will have qualifiers in various parts of the world
The Olympic Esports Series will have qualifying stages in various parts of the world, open to amateur and professional players, and the best will have the chance to participate in the finals at Suntec Centre, located in Singapore, with live transmission on the website and social networks of the Olympics .
In fact, the Olympic Esports Series represents an evolution of the Olympic Virtual Series, promoted in 2021, the first Olympic eSports event, entirely held online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the IOC, the initiative received more than 250 thousand participants in 100 countries. Five games were played: eBaseball Powerful Pro Baseball 2020 (baseball), Zwift (cycling), rowing, Virtual Regatta (sailing) and Gran Turismo (motor racing).
