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Olympic Esports Games

Not to be confused with Olympic Esports Series.
Olympic Esports Games
Tournament information
EstablishedTBD
AdministratorInternational Olympic Committee
FormatLAN
Most recent tournament
2027 Olympic Esports Games
Olympic Games
Olympic Rings
Main topics
Games
Regional games
Defunct games

Olympic Esports Games is a planned international multi-esport event.[1] It will feature multiple different virtual sports and video games coming together in a single location, run by the International Olympic Committee. The events at the Olympic Esports Games have a connection with traditional Olympic sports, as the video game titles selected are chosen by international federations.

While esports and competitive video gaming have traditionally not been considered a sport, the Olympic Movement began taking an interest as early as 2007, when esports was included at the 2007 Asian Indoor Games. In 2017, an Olympic Summit was held focused on the International Olympic Committee and esports. After an online-only Olympic Virtual Series was held during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 in five sports, the IOC eventually announced the creation of the Olympic Esports Series, as part of the Olympic Esports Week, in November 2022. The inaugural edition was held in Singapore in June 2023. On 11 February 2025, the IOC announced the first Olympic Esports Games will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2027.[2]

Unlike at the regular Olympic Games, medals and diplomas will not be awarded at the Olympic Esports Games. The top three in each event will be awarded gold, silver, and bronze-coloured trophies instead.[3]

History

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Main article: Esports § Olympic Games recognition

Traditional esports titles such as Counter-Strike, Dota, League of Legends, and Valorant have been considered to be "too violent" for inclusion in an Olympic-style esports competition.[4] An Olympic Summit was held in October 2017 to consider the possible adoption of esports by the Olympic Movement,[5] with a further IOC Esports Forum held in July 2018.[6] However, the lack of a single international federation to govern esports, a requirement for a sport to be recognised as an Olympic sport, along with the issue of violence in games, meant the IOC would not consider adding esports to the Olympic Games.[7]

Other sporting events, such as the Asian Games held by the Olympic Council of Asia and the Southeast Asian Games, recognise esports as a medal event. It was first added to a major Games at the 2007 Asian Indoor Games, and became a full medal event of the Asian Games starting with the 2022 Asian Games, and the Southeast Asian Games starting with the 2019 SEA Games.[8]

After the COVID-19 pandemic led to the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics to 2021, the inaugural IOC-backed esports event, known as the Olympic Virtual Series, was announced for 2021.[9] Sports included in that were baseball, cycling, motorsport, rowing, and sailing[10] – four of which would return as part of the Olympic Esports Series in 2023.

A second Olympic Virtual Series was planned for 2022,[11] but did not take place, instead being replaced by the Olympic Esports Series.[12]

Following the conclusion of the inaugural event in Singapore, the IOC's head of virtual sports and esports Vincent Pereira said that Paris, as the host city of the 2024 Summer Olympics, had priority to host an edition of the Olympic Esports Series in 2024 if it wished, but that interest had also been received from Singapore to repeat as hosts as well as from Seoul, South Korea; Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates; New York City; and Shenzhen, China.[13] Studies suggest that tailoring Olympic Esports events to align with regional values of excellence, friendship, and respect could increase global acceptance and support.[14]

Despite criticism over excluding traditional esports titles deemed "too violent", the IOC also intends to keep first-person shooter games out of the Olympic Esports Series in the future, according to Pereira. Despite Fortnite having been included in the 2023 event in a specially modified format with targets, Pereira added the default format of Fortnite involving shooting other characters would not be considered.[15]

Future game additions could include Rocket League, the Street Fighter series, and the NBA 2K series, which all featured as exhibition events in 2023.[15]

This digital entertainment event can have a significant positive impact on competitive gaming globally, with the industry’s value expected to reach over $1 trillion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 11.60 percent during the forecast period 2023-2032, according to market research firm Inkwood Research.[16]

In June 2024, the IOC Executive Board announced that it would create an Olympic Esports Games, with the 142nd IOC Session held during the 2024 Summer Olympics due to vote on the proposal.[17] In July 2024, it was announced that the inaugural Olympic Esports Games would be held in Saudi Arabia, following a new partnership with the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee.[18][19] The proposal was ultimately approved by a unanimous vote on 23 July 2024.[20] International sporting events such as the Asian Games or the FIFA World Cup had already established esports competitions. The Games were initially planned for 2025 but were rescheduled to 2027.[2]

Host city requirements

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The scale of the Olympic Esports Games is smaller than that of the Olympics. Potential host cities are required to keep all events within the same city and no new venues should be built. No new or unique transportation systems are required, as all athletes and coaches will be transported by local shuttles.[21]

Participation

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After the conclusion of the first Esports Week, the lack of participation from African players was criticised, with an opinion piece in Kenya's Daily Nation questioning the decision of the IOC to use online qualifiers for the Olympic Esports Series, due to connectivity and stability issues in Africa which make staying connected to servers a "logistical challenge".[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "IOC enters a new era with the creation of Olympic Esports Games – first Games in 2025 in Saudi Arabia". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Esports Olympics to debut in Saudi Arabia later than expected in 2027". AP News. 11 February 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  3. ^ "Gamers meet Games in inaugural Olympic Esports Week". CNN.com. Reuters. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  4. ^ Good, Owen (30 August 2017). "If esports come to the Olympics, don't expect to see 'violent' titles". Polygon. Archived from the original on 25 November 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  5. ^ Grohmann, Karolos (28 October 2017). "E-sports just got closer to being part of the Olympics". Business Insider. Reuters. Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  6. ^ "Olympic Movement, esports and gaming communities meet at the Esports Forum". International Olympic Committee. 21 July 2018. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  7. ^ Leng, Sidney (28 August 2017). "Violent video games have 'no place at the Olympics', but e-sports are still in the running". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  8. ^ Myers, Maddy (18 April 2017). "Esports Will Become A Medal Event At The 2022 Asian Games". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  9. ^ Bieler, Des (22 April 2021). "IOC announces inaugural slate of Olympic-licensed esports events". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  10. ^ "IOC makes landmark move into virtual sports by announcing first-ever Olympic Virtual Series" (Press release). International Olympic Committee. 22 April 2021. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  11. ^ Dixon, Ed (13 December 2021). "IOC's Olympic Virtual Series to return in 2022". Sports Pro. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  12. ^ "IOC enters a new era with the creation of Olympic Esports Games – first Games in 2025 in Saudi Arabia". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  13. ^ Arrivé, Paul (8 July 2023). "Esport : le CIO dresse le bilan de son Olympic Esports Week" (in French). L'Équipe. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  14. ^ Ribeiro, Tiago; Almeida, Victor; Calapez, André; Matsuoka, Hirotaka; Yamashita, Rei (11 October 2023). "Esports and Olympic Games: a cross-cultural exploration of the player support behaviour towards the Olympics". International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship. 24 (4): 700–721. doi:10.1108/IJSMS-12-2022-0215. ISSN 1464-6668. Archived from the original on 28 December 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  15. ^ a b Ghifari, Deni (1 July 2023). "'Counter Strike', 'Call of Duty' will never enter Olympic Esports, IOC says". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  16. ^ "Saudi Arabia's hosting Olympic Esports Games 2025 underlines the Kingdom's economic and social transformation". Arab News. 5 October 2024. Archived from the original on 9 October 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  17. ^ International Olympic Committee (14 June 2024). "IOC EB proposes creation of "Olympic Esports Games" to IOC Session". Archived from the original on 14 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  18. ^ Paul, Karl (12 July 2024). "Saudi Arabia to host first 'Olympics Esports Games' in 2025". The Guardian.
  19. ^ "IOC announces Olympic Esports Games to be hosted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia". International Olympic Committee. 12 July 2024. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  20. ^ Burelli, Thomas; Liu, Haoran; Dykukha, Marie (7 August 2024). "It's official: The Olympic Esports Games will be held in 2025. Here's everything you need to know". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 9 January 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  21. ^ "2018 Youth Olympic Games: Appraising Abuja's Bid Plan". Leadershipeditors.com. 19 March 2011. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  22. ^ Lusigi, Ronny (29 June 2023). "Olympic Esports Week: Where was Africa?". Daily Nation. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023. Were the IOC and the respective International Federations aware of the logistical challenges of servers when they put out a blanket online qualifiers as the criteria of selecting the top gamers?
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