PARIS: The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is proposing the creation of ‘Olympic Esports Games’ to the 142nd IOC Session, which will be held during the Olympic Games Paris 2024, when the IOC Members will vote on this proposal. The IOC is already in advanced discussions with a potential host, and an announcement can be expected very soon after the last formalities have been finalised.

‘With the creation of Olympic Esports Games, the IOC is taking a major step forward and is keeping up with the pace of the digital revolution. We are very excited how enthusiastically the esports community represented in our Esports Commission has engaged with this initiative. This is further proof of the attractivity of the Olympic brand and the values it stands for,’ said IOC President Thomas Bach.

The IOC has been engaging with esports since 2018 in a holistic way. It has chosen an approach that allows the organisation to be successful in the esports space while staying true to the values th
at have guided the IOC for over a century. ‘With respect to esports, our values are and remain the red line that we will never cross,’ the IOC President said.

The IOC’s first engagement with the esports community was the organisation of the Esports Forum in 2018 in Lausanne, followed by the setting up of an Esports Liaison Group as a platform to engage with all the esports stakeholders. This was later transformed into the IOC Esports Commission, chaired by IOC Member David Lappartient. In 2021, the IOC developed the Olympic Virtual Series, the IOC’s first pilot venture in esports.

Source: Emirates News Agency