IOC proposes creation of E-sports Olympic Games, says Thomas Bach
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Bach also said a new structure would be set up within the IOC for E-sports but that it would be completely separate.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LAUSANNE – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) plans to launch an “E-sport Olympic Games”, which are separate from the traditional Olympic Games, IOC president Thomas Bach announced on June 14.
The Olympic body’s executive board, on the third and final day of its meeting in Lausanne, proposed the new competition to be voted on at a general assembly in Paris from July 22-24, just before the summer Games.
“The IOC is already in advanced discussions with a potential host and an announcement can be expected very soon,” said a press statement, without specifying how often such an event would take place or what sports would be included.
The IOC, in its perpetual quest to reconcile Olympic tradition with attempts to attract a younger audience, held an initial “Olympic E-sport week” in Singapore in June 2023. It consisted of “10 mixed-gender category events” and over 130 players from across the globe coming together to compete.
The IOC has been trying for years to connect with the younger generation, with its traditional Olympic audience base gradually ageing as well.
Last October, the IOC set up an “E-sport commission” chaired by Frenchman David Lappartient, the president of the International Cycling Union (UCI), to consider a dedicated competition.
“With the creation of Olympic E-sports Games, the IOC is taking a major step forward and is keeping up with the pace of the digital revolution,” said Bach in a statement posted on social media.
“We are very excited how enthusiastically the E-sports community represented in our E-sports Commission has engaged with this initiative. This is further proof of the attractivity of the Olympic brand and the values it stands for."
Bach also said a new structure would be set up within the IOC for E-sports but that it would be completely separate.
“With respect to E-sports, our values are and remain the red line that we will never cross,” the IOC chief added.
Specifically, the dedicated Games would be organised “within the framework of an entirely new specialised structure within the IOC, clearly separated from the organisational and financial model of the Olympic Games”.
He nevertheless specified that the international federations “already involved in an electronic version of their sport”, as well as the national Olympic committees “which include E-sport in their activities”, could be associated with the new Games. REUTERS, AFP
