3. IOC announces the development of the Olympic Esports Games in a transformational move that may not work
At its Session in October the IOC announced that it will be creating the Olympic Esports Games, leveraging experience from the Olympic Virtual Series held online in 2021 (due to the pandemic) and the inaugural Olympic Esports Series in Singapore this past June that staged 10 events featuring both digital and hybrid sport simulations.
From the announcement it appears that the IOC will keep esports separate from the traditional Games and will adhere to Olympic values by featuring non-violent and sport-related titles that are governed by existing sport federations. This is contrary to models used during recent regional Asian and Pan Am Games where esports were included on the main program and more popular titles were played.
The development shows the IOC is now taking esports seriously after years of pushing back against recognizing its growing significance among youth. But it seems the IOC is trying to fit esports into the Olympic model rather than embracing existing models that are already popular among gamers.
Years from now we’ll look back at that moment as the point that led to either the success or failure of Olympic esports.
[Top Story #2 on page 10]
