This summer, the Olympics will get a tech makeover as the eSports committee gets ready for its second Olympics eSports series.
By adding virtual sports to the event, organizers aim to attract a younger and more hip crowd than the traditional summer sports event.
eSports is a growing industry around the world, with millions of players and $1 billion in revenue each year.
Olympics eSports Taps Virtual Chess, Motorsport, and More
According to Standard.co.uk, the event's full lineup includes virtual versions of mostly physical activities such as archery, baseball, chess, cycling, dance, motorsport, sailing, tennis, and taekwondo.
The Olympics team has collaborated with an eSports platform to provide software for competitors to use. Chess.com, for example, has partnered with virtual chess, Gran Turismo with motorsports, and Just Dance with dance.
Olympic Esports Series 2023 in Singapore
During a four-day special event in Singapore, the finals of the new Olympic Esports Series will be held.
The organizers say that in addition to watching eSports players compete on the main stages, there will also be a "Free to Play" area where people can try out the newest eSports technology for themselves. This also includes exhibits, panel discussions, education sessions, and show matches.
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The inaugural Olympic virtual series, which took place in 2021, attracted over 250,000 competitors from over 100 different countries.
Even Olympic athletes such as South African cyclist Ashleigh Moolman benefit from the event's tangible, real-world benefits. For Moolman, virtual cycling and actual cycling are a perfect match, not least because eSports can reach new audiences worldwide, Independent tells us.
The Olympic Esports Week will be held in Singapore on June 22 to 25, 2023, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth, Sport Singapore, and the Singapore National Olympic Committee (SNOC).
The first-ever live finals of the Olympic Esports Series 2023, a global competition for virtual and simulated sports developed in conjunction with International Federations (IFs) and game publishers, will be the week's sure highlight!
The competition kicks off on March 1, and professional and amateur players worldwide are invited to compete in qualification rounds across the featured games. Are you ready?
The Olympics is Ready for the Future
The eSports industry is rapidly expanding and is expected to grow further in the coming years. The inclusion of eSports in the Olympics will most likely attract a younger audience and increase the Games' popularity.
According to data from Statista, the global eSports audience reached 532 million people in 2022. In the coming years, increasing numbers of viewers are anticipated to tune in to watch their favorite games played by some of the world's best gamers.
By 2025, it is anticipated that there will be over 640 million eSports viewers worldwide.
While some traditionalists may argue that eSports have no place in the Olympics, it appears that the future is heading in this direction, and the Olympic Committee is on board.
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