All the game titles of traditional sports to be played in the Olympics as ‘esports’
On Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) unveiled the details for its first Olympic Esports Series. With the qualifiers that have already begun, the culmination will be a live in-person event at the first-ever Olympic Esports Week this June at the Suntec Centre in Singapore.
At first glance, this announcement is no surprise, considering esports has already cemented itself into mainstream culture in recent years, and there have been numerous debates about whether or not it should be included in the Olympics. However, the announcement of the lineup of games to be featured seems different from what anyone may think of as esports.
Massively popular esports titles mostly feature MOBAs (multiplayer online battle arena), first-person shooters, fighting, and real-time strategy games that already garner global viewership, such as League of Legends, Overwatch, Tekken, Dota 2, and Valorant, among others. Unfortunately, these aforementioned games are absent from the lineup.
The lineup features nine virtual replicas of real-life competitive sport disciplines, which will be overseen by different international sports federations. Each featured game will have its own competition format and entry requirements. The following are the sports that will be taking part in the series, along with their respective game titles:
- Archery (Tic Tac Bow)
- Baseball (WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS)
- Chess (Chess.com)
- Cycling (Zwift)
- Dance (Just Dance)
- Motor sport (Gran Turismo)
- Sailing (Virtual Regatta)
- Taekwondo (Virtual Taekwondo)
- Tennis (Tennis Clash)
In a press release by David Lappartient, chair of the IOC Esports Liaison Group, the Olympic movement brings people together in a peaceful competition. Adding that the Olympic Esports Series 2023 is a continuation of that, with the ambition of creating more spaces to play for both players and fans of elite competition.
“We look forward to witnessing some of the world’s best compete on the global stage, as well as exploring together shared opportunities and lessons—across health and wellbeing, training, and innovation,” he continued.
The Olympic Esports Series is a continuation of the success of the Olympic Virtual Series, which took place in 2021 ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The event featured baseball, cycling (on Zwift), motor sport, railing, and sailing. The IOC reported that it drew in over 250,000 participants from across 100 countries to take part in competitions.
Moreover, the Olympic Esports Week this June will not only serve as the avenue for the first live finals of the Olympic Esports Series but will also showcase the very best of virtual sports, which will include technology exhibitions, show matches, and expert panel discussions.
The qualification rounds for the Olympic Esports Series will run until May 15. For guidelines on how to participate, visit the Olympics Esports Series’ official website.
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