The first ever Olympic Esports Week is being organised by International Olympic Committee (IOC). It will be held between 22-25 June 2023 in Singapore. This announcement marks a big step towards growth and enhancing the idea of engagement in gamers and professional athletes. Virtual sports are anticipated to gain growth and development with the introduction of esports in the Olympic movement.
The Olympic Esports Week will be a four-day festival that would emphasize on the latest technological advancements, panel discussions, matches and other educational sessions. The events of the week would shed light on the benefits of virtual sports and the significance of physical and simulated sports. It is being held in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Sport Singapore and the Singapore National Olympic Committee (SNOC).
IOC President Thomas Bach said, “The first Olympic Esports Week marks an important milestone in our ambition to support the growth of virtual sports within the Olympic Movement. We believe the exciting new format of our virtual sports competition, with live finals to be staged for the first time, is an opportunity to collaborate further with esports players and to create new opportunities for players and fans alike.”
It is a perfect opportunity to be partnering with Singapore, which has a history of supporting innovation in the Olympic Movement, hosting the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010, so we are looking forward to working together closely,” he added.
The SNOC Board member and IOC Vice-President Ng Ser Miang said, “The Singapore NOC shares the Olympic Movement’s ambitions of exploring the development of virtual sports. Singapore has a track record of successfully hosting some of the biggest events in the virtual sports and esports calendar – we are honored to be collaborating with the IOC to bring this shared vision to life.”
In October 2022, the association of the Commonwealth Games 2026 removed Esports as a medal event. There were no valid reasons given for the removal of Esports but according to the rumours and speculations, it can be said that verification and doping of the players for each game was very problematic and complicated.
The decision faced criticism from the fans and players, but the hopes of the people to see video games on a big level could not be killed. Ever since Esports was included to be a medal event in the Asia Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) 2025, the fingers were crossed for its inclusion in other medal events as well.
As Esports is now being permitted to enter the Olympics 2023, players are excited to have a platform to showcase their skills and prove themselves. The Indian players won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Esports Championship in Birmingham and so the expectations from the players have risen largely.
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