IOC waives broad acceptance of e-sports as an Olympic medal sport for the time being
The International Olympic Committee says that it is not yet on the agenda to seriously consider e-sports as a medal sport in the Olympic program. One of the reasons given for this is that e-sports would not fit the Olympic values.
The International Olympic Committee lists a number of concerns or uncertainties about the current reticence on esports. For example, the committee believes that some e-sports games are not in line with Olympic values, without mentioning specific titles. In that context, Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC, hinted in August that only non-violent esports games would be considered as Olympic sports.
Furthermore, objections are cited as the conclusion that the e-sports industry is still developing rapidly and the popularity of specific games is changing. The IOC also mentions the ‘rapid development towards augmented reality and VR’. In addition, the industry is described as ‘fragmented’, with the committee noting that there is stiff competition between commercial parties.
Finally, the IOC mentions another objection: the industry would be commercially driven, while in the view of the committee this would not be the case with regular sports; they would be ‘value-based’. For reasons like this, the IOC calls any discussion of esports or games as a medal event “premature.”
The IOC does not rule out e-sports definitively and says it will continue to work on the subject and keep in touch with the e-sports community. The committee recognizes that e-sports as a pastime among young people can be seen as a competitor to mainstream sports. Based on this, the committee concludes that it cannot ignore the growth of e-sports. Furthermore, the IOC notes that competitive gaming represents a physical activity comparable to that of more traditional sports.
Incidentally, the IOC seems to make an exception for ‘simulation games’ such as e-sports. According to the committee, the aforementioned objections and uncertainties do not apply to these games. That is why the IOC wants to accelerate cooperation with the relevant sports organisations. It is not clear which games are involved here, but the committee is talking about ‘electronic and virtual versions of sports’.