The International Olympic Committee IOC announced that it will dive into the esports scene with the Olympic Esports Series.
But, contrary to what many people thought, the respected sporting body did not choose popular games for its 2023 edition, so say goodbye to your hopes of seeing Tencent's TCEHY League of Legends, Valve's Dota 2 Valorant or Counter-Strike in this year's Olympic Esports.
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What games will be represented? Sony Group Corp's SONY Gran Turismo, Ubisoft Entertainment's UBSFF Just Dance Konami Group Corp's KONMY WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros, Virtual Regatta, Virtual Taekwondo, Tennis Clash and Tic Tac Bow, as well as a chess video game and indoor cycling trainer are some of the video games that are simulations of real-world sports.
Polygon, the gaming website, reached out to the IOC to ask for clarification about the controversial video game picks, which cited violence as one of the main reasons for the demonetization of the most popular esport games. The Committee pointed out technical barriers to entry, and inclusivity, that could be referring to titles that need a high-end PC to operate.
It is important to us that the featured games in the Olympic Esports Series align with the Olympic values when considering these proposals. This includes participation inclusivity, such as technical barriers to entry, gender split of player base, and avoiding personal violence, against the backdrop of the IOC's mission to unite the world in peaceful competition, the IOC told Polygon.
The IOC explained that it partnered with international sports federations for the selection of the games, and that the popularity of the titles was not a factor in its consideration.
The Olympic GamesOlympic Games have always offered a diverse programme, including sports whose competitors don't benefit from the platform of other high-profile competitions. Although not currently involved in the Olympic programme, both chess and motorsports are recognised International Federations, so were invited to submit proposals to be part of the competition, according to the IOC.
The Olympic Esports Series' qualification rounds started on March 1, and will culminate in live, in-person finals at the first Olympic Esports Week, which takes place from June 22 to June 25 in Singapore.
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