IOC to seek approval for esports Olympics

Field Level Media|published: Fri 14th June, 11:02 2024

Oct 18, 2022; Paris, FRANCE; the Olympic rings are on display outside of the Hotel de Ville ahead of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The International Olympic Committee will ask members to approve the creation of an esports Olympics.

IOC president Thomas Bach said Friday from Lausanne, Switzerland, that the time has come to expand the Olympic reach to include esports. Such an event would likely draw a younger audience to the Olympic movement.

"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," Bach said. "This is further proof of the attractivity of the Olympic brand and the values it stands for."

IOC members are expected to vote on the proposal next month at a meeting in Paris before the opening of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

The IOC said it was in "advanced discussions" with a city to potentially host an esports Olympics.

In June 2023, the IOC held an Olympic Esports Week in Singapore, with 130 players competing in 10 events. About 75 percent of the viewers, either in person or through streaming, were ages 13 to 34, the IOC said.

--Field Level Media