Olympic Esports Series 2023: Just Dance, Gran Turismo, Tennis Clash Part Of Featured Games
Tic Tac Bow, Chess.com, Zwift, Virtual Regatta, and more games on the official IOC list.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on March 1 announced the kickoff of the Olympic Esports Series 2023, where esports athletes from around the world will participate in qualifications rounds across nine officially recognised sports. The committee announced that the tournament will culminate in a live, in-person finals, which will take place in Singapore from June 22 to June 25, as part of the first-ever Olympic Esports Week 2023.
As mentioned, the IOC recognised nine sports in total, with several games featured within. Here are the names of the finalized games (and the sporting body it will be governed by):
- Archery — Tic Tac Bow under World Archery Federation
- Baseball — WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros under World Baseball Softball Confederation
- Chess — Chess.com under International Chess Federation
- Cycling — Zwift under Union Cycliste Internationale
- Dance — Just Dance under World DanceSport Federation
- Motorsport — Gran Turismo under Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile
- Sailing — Virtual Regatta under World Sailing
- Taekwondo — Virtual Taekwondo under World Taekwondo
- Tennis — Tennis Clash under International Tennis Federation
The Olympic Esports Series 2023 comes on the heels of the 2021 Olympic Virtual Series, which took place just ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, attracting over 250,000 competitors from across 100 nations. The latest esports tournament is a part of the commitee’s plan to develop virtual sports within the Olympic Movement, as laid out in Olympic Agenda 2020+5.
“The Olympic Movement brings people together in peaceful competition. 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,” said IOC Esports Liaison Group Chair David Lappartient.
“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,” Lappartient added.
Indian esports organisations wholeheartedly welcomed the announcement.
“It is encouraging to see that the IOC is continuing to embrace esports, and I have full confidence that it will soon be included as a medal sport, just like the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has done with the Asian Games and AIMAG. Although the physical aspect of traditional esports game titles such as DOTA and League of Legends may not be apparent when esports athletes compete, the IOC has included certain games like Zwift and Virtual Taekwondo; where the esports athletes compete in a virtual reality environment and have to physically move their bodies, such as cycling or taekwondo. This inclusion will help dispel the misunderstanding that esports does not involve physical movements,” said Lokesh Suji, Director, Esports Federation of India and Vice President, Asian Esports Federation.
“The integration of a broad selection of esports game titles and genres into major multi-sport events is a crucial step in making esports accessible to everyone, regardless of age, gender, caste, creed, ability, and other factors, aligning with the Olympic Movement's values of inclusivity. With the official recognition of Esports as a multi-sport in India, we are thrilled to see traditional sports such as chess and motorsports thriving in video game form, thereby adding to the growth of the community and the development of the sector.” Suji added.
Rohit Agarwal, founder and director of gaming-focussed marketing agency Alpha Zegus, said, “Not only is this a big leap for the Esports industry, but the fact that even amateur players get a shot at it makes it all the more special. That’s a big win for us since it will encourage gamers of all sizes, all across the world, to interact, compete, and grow the esports industry as a whole.”
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