The International Olympic Committee appears to be seriously considering bringing e-sports into the fold.
The IOC and the Global Association of International Sports Federations have announced an e-sports forum in July to talk about the industry’s development and a possible future collaboration.
The idea of including e-sports as a demonstration event for the Paris 2024 Games was already floated by organizers, and competitive video gaming is already set to become a medal event for the 2022 Asian Games.
“We understand that sport never stands still and the phenomenal growth of e-sports and gaming is part of its continuing evolution. The E-sports Forum provides an important and extremely valuable opportunity for us to gain a deeper understanding of e-sports, their impact and likely future development, so that we can jointly consider the ways in which we may collaborate to the mutual benefit of all of sport in the years ahead,” GAISF president Patrick Baumann said in a release.
The move makes sense as more e-sports leagues continue to bring in money and viewers. It wouldn’t be surprising to see e-sports added to future Olympic Games.
IOC sports director Kit McConnell called the event “a great opportunity for both the Olympic Movement and representatives from the world of esports and gaming to begin a discussion, listen and learn from each other, and understand the potential opportunities for collaboration. The IOC and GAISF are closely following the rapid development of esports globally, and we look forward to a really engaging discussion.”
The forum is scheduled to take place on July 21 in Switzerland.