IOC moves to consider e-sports inclusion

The rapidly growing world of e-sports and its popularity among young people has ignited the interest of the IOC as it looks to refresh its own ageing audience and make the Games relevant to a new generation.

“The Summit agreed that ”eSports“ are showing strong growth, especially within the youth demographic across different countries, and can provide a platform for engagement with the Olympic Movement,” the IOC said in a statement after the meeting with Olympic stakeholders in Lausanne.

Those stakeholders included international federations, national Olympic committees and athletes’ representatives among others, Reurters reported.

“Competitive ”eSports“ could be considered as a sporting activity, and the players involved prepare and train with an intensity which may be comparable to athletes in traditional sports,” it said.

But any future inclusion in the Games would require official recognition of it as an Olympic sport and would also need a governing organization that would guarantee compliance “with the rules and regulations of the Olympic movement.”

E-sports include competitive gaming where players square off in lucrative tournaments and draw millions of spectators online.

Global audiences are expected to reach 385.5 million this year, according to research firm Newzoo.

E-sports will be part of the medals event at the 2022 Asian Games, while many professional sports teams have also set up their own ‘e-teams’ competing for national and international titles.

Following is the complete statement by the IOC:

The development of "eSports"

The Summit discussed the rapid development of what are called "eSports", and the current involvement of various Olympic Movement stakeholders. The Summit agreed that:

• "eSports" are showing strong growth, especially within the youth demographic across different countries, and can provide a platform for engagement with the Olympic Movement.
• Competitive "eSports" could be considered as a sporting activity, and the players involved prepare and train with an intensity which may be comparable to athletes in traditional sports.
• In order to be recognised by the IOC as a sport, the content of "eSports" must not infringe on the Olympic values.
• A further requirement for recognition by the IOC must be the existence of an organisation guaranteeing compliance with the rules and regulations of the Olympic Movement (anti-doping, betting, manipulation, etc.).
• The Summit asked the IOC together with GAISF in a dialogue with the gaming industry and players to explore this area further and to come back to the Olympic Movement stakeholders in due course.