IOC explains Olympic esports selection

The Olympic Esports Series being held this year is a showcase of the growth of esports. A virtual event was held in 2020, but the finals will be held as a LAN event in Singapore this year.

In the Esports Series, both amateur and professional gamers can participate; this could qualify as a move by the Olympic committee to get involved with video games.

However, the community has many questions about how the Esports Series is organized; for example, one of the most considerable doubts is how the selection of sports is made.

This doubt arose after the games that are part of the Esports Series were announced. Considering that none of the most popular esports, such as CS:GO, LoL, Rocket League, or the most popular ones, are included in the list.

On the contrary, the simulation sports that are part of the competition are the following:

• Archery
• Baseball
• Chess
• Cycling
• Dancing
• Motorsports
• Sailing
• Taekwondo
• Tennis

When looking at the list of games, many people wonder why the most famous esports titles were not included.

There are two answers to this question:

• The Olympic committee does not want to promote violent games.
• They are focusing on real-world sports.

However, with these two answers, there is still no explanation for the presence of motorsports or chess; especially considering that these sports would unlikely be included in the Olympics.

On what basis did the IOC choose the sports for the Esports Series?

Also, as mentioned above, the International Olympic Committee is very clear about its values and promotes them through peaceful competition. Therefore, violent esports is not an option for the Esports Series.

On the other hand, the IOC seeks to unite the world through sport, inclusion, and gender balance and refrains from violent and aggressive events.

Inclusion of the games in the Esports Series

After knowing why the most popular esports is not present, it makes sense to include the sports they have chosen; now, let’s talk a bit about them.

Let’s start with Just Dance, which was selected thanks to its accessibility and the broad demographic it is aimed at. On the other hand, we have Gran Turismo, which is very inclusive as it does not impose any technological barrier to play it.

Another aspect that the IOC considered in selecting sports was to partner with sports federations to promote other lesser-known esports.

Traditionally, the Olympic Games have offered a wide range of sports, and for the Esports Series, they want to do the same; therefore, racing sports and chess have been included.

Another question is why FIFA has not been included in the Esports Series. But given the breakdown of relations between the soccer governing body and the game developers, inclusion was impossible.

As can be seen, the list of games for the Esports Series may seem strange, but the IOC has good reasons for partnerships and alliances.

Header: International Olympic Committee