Are Esports In The Olympics?
The International Olympic Committee is considering the addition of esports to the Olympics. But are esports truly a sport?
What are esports?
Esports are a form of competition that is facilitated by electronic systems, particularly video games; the input of players and teams as well as the output of the Esports system is mediated by human-computer interfaces. Esports often take the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams.
A brief history of esports
The MIT Blackjack Team of the early 1990s is often credited as the first true esports rivals, with Kevin Mitnick recruited for his incredible memory and hacking abilities to help bring down casinos through card-counting in blackjack.
But it wasn’t until 1997 that the term “esports” was coined, with the launch of the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) – founded by Dennis Fong, the world’s first professional gamer. The CPL hosted the world’s first multiplayer FPS tournament featuring QuakeCon, where Johnathan Wendel (known as Fatal1ty) took home the $15,000 prize.
The early 2000s saw a boom in internet cafes and PC Bangs in South Korea thanks to StarCraft: Brood War, with multiple television networks dedicating airtime to professional gamers. In 2002, Samsung signed Lim Yo-Hwan (a.k.a SlayerS_`BoxeR`) to a sponsorship deal worth $180,000 – one of the largest esports player contracts at that time.
The rise of esports
The term “esports” covers a wide range of video game competitions, but the most common games played in tournaments are shooting games like CS:GO and Overwatch, multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs) like Dota 2 and League of Legends, and battle royales like Fortnite and PUBG. The best players in the world can earn millions of dollars from prize money, sponsorships, and streaming deals. But even casual players can enjoy watching the biggest tournaments, which are usually held in huge stadiums around the world and attract thousands of spectators.
Are esports in the Olympics?
The International Olympic Committee is monitoring the growth of competitive gaming with the aim of potentially including esports in future Olympic Games. Some believe that esports could provide a new opportunity for the Olympics to engage with young people, while others feel that the inclusion of esports would devalue the Olympic brand. The jury is still out on whether or not esports will be in the Olympics, but it is definitely a possibility in the future.
The International Olympic Committee and esports
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been monitoring the development of esports and virtual sports for some time, with the aim of understanding this phenomenon better and identifying its potential impact on the sports movement.
In order to progress with its consideration of esports, the IOC established an Esports Forum in Lausanne in July 2017, attended by representatives of international federations, National Olympic Committees, publishers, players, event organisers and media, among others.
The purpose of the Forum was to explore synergies and partnerships between esports and the Olympic Movement to benefit both industries. It also provided a platform for open dialogue and discussion on this topic.
The IOC will continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders in order to build consensus on how best to leverage the opportunities that esports present while respecting the integrity and principles of sport.
The Olympic Council of Asia and esports
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is the governing body responsible for overseeing all sports activity in Asia, both within the continent and at the Asian Games. The OCA has been particularly supportive of esports in recent years, going so far as to add them as a medal event at the upcoming 2018 Asian Games.
This is a significant step forward for the competitive gaming scene, as it could potentially lead to esports being included as an official sport at future Olympic Games. While there is no guarantee that this will happen, it is certainly a possibility that we will see competitive gaming on the world’s biggest stage in the near future.
The possibility of esports in the future Olympics
The International Olympic Committee has been slow to warm up to the idea of esports, but that could change in the future.
The IOC has said that it would consider adding esports to the Olympics if the games meet certain criteria, such as having an international federation and offering competition for players of all levels.
There are a few obstacles standing in the way of esports being added to the Olympics. First, not all countries recognize esports as a sport. This is something that would have to change in order for esports to be added to the Olympics.
Another obstacle is that not all esports games are played in a physical space. This means that there would have to be some changes made in order for these games to be played at the Olympics.
It is also worth noting that the IOC has said that it is not interested in adding violent games to the Olympics. This could rule out some of the most popular esports games, such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Call of Duty.
Despite these obstacles, there is a possibility that we could see esports in the future Olympics. It will likely take some time for all of the necessary conditions to be met, but it is definitely something that could happen down the line.
Why aren’t esports in the Olympics?
The International Olympic Committee has been resistant to the idea of adding esports to the games. There are a few reasons for this. One reason is that the IOC is worried about the level of violence in some video games. They are also concerned about the way that some video games are played online.
The obstacles to esports in the Olympics
Despite their growing popularity, esports face several obstacles on the road to being featured in the Olympic Games. One of the biggest issues is that there is no international governing body for esports like there is for traditional sports. This lack of regulation makes it difficult to define exactly what constitutes an esports event, which games should be included, and how to ensure fairness and drug testing.
As a result, many traditional sports organizations are hesitant to fully embrace esports. For example, the International Olympic Committee has said that it will only consider games that promote physical activity and that are suited for a television audience. This excludes some of the most popular esport titles such as League of Legends and Dota 2, which are played by millions of people around the world.
In addition, there is also concern about the violent nature of some esports games. While games like Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are not particularly bloody, others such as Mortal Kombat 11 andCall of Duty: Modern Warfare feature graphic violence that would likely turn off Olympic sponsors and TV viewers.
Finally, another obstacle facing esports is the lack of gender diversity. While women make up a significant portion of the gaming population, they are vastly outnumbered by men in professional esports. This imbalance is due in part to cultural factors, but it also reflects the fact that many top esport tournaments do not offer prize pools that are equal for men and women.
Despite these obstacles, some progress has been made towards including esports in the Olympics. In 2018, the IOC held an exhibition event for esports at the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. And in 2019, The Olympic Channel aired its first ever live broadcast of an esports event, which was The International 2019 – Dota 2 tournament held in Shanghai, China.
The lack of popularity of esports
The International Olympic Committee has recognized that the popularity of esports has been on the rise in recent years, with large tournaments being held all over the world. However, the IOC has also stated that esports still have a long way to go before they can be considered for inclusion in the Olympics.
There are several reasons why the IOC has not yet made a decision to include esports in the Olympics. Firstly, esports are still a relatively new phenomenon, and as such, there is no existing infrastructure or standardization for them. This makes it difficult for the IOC to determine how to best integrate esports into the Olympic Games.
Another reason why esports have not yet been included in the Olympics is due to their lack of popularity compared to other sports. Although there are many people who play and follow esports, the sport still does not have the same level of mainstream appeal as traditional sports such as football or basketball. As a result, it is unlikely that esports will be added to the Olympics anytime soon.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is evident that the esports are not currently in the Olympics. However, given the growing popularity of the activity, it is possible that they could be included in future games. For now, those interested in watching or playing esports will have to turn to other tournaments and competitions.
