International Olympics Committee clarifies its stance on esports

Here at Daily Esports, we have been following the news that esports could become an Olympic sport, but now the International Olympics Committee (IOC) has clarified its stance on the issue following its latest summit. It seems for now only games that are based on real sports such as soccer and basketball would be considered.

According to the committee, they want esports professionals to engage in real sports and improve their lifestyle. This means a healthier one that promotes physical and mental health. What one can take from this is they don’t want gamers just sitting there staring at screens. The IOC did acknowledge in the past how much training and prep go into getting ready for gamers to compete, similar to those who compete in other Olympic sports. They just want to see gamers have a balance between gaming and a more active lifestyle.

Here are relevant sections from this year’s summit statement pertaining to esports:

With regard to electronic games simulating sports, the Summit sees great potential for cooperation and incorporating them into the sports movement. Many sports simulations are becoming more and more physical thanks to Virtual and Augmented Reality which replicate the traditional sports.With regard to other electronic games, the Summit concluded that, at this stage, the sports movement should focus on players and gamers rather than on specific games. …

With regard to other electronic games, the Summit concluded that, at this stage, the sports movement should focus on players and gamers rather than on specific games. This focus on individuals should promote the participation in sport and its benefits as well as healthy lifestyle at all levels, including a health management model for elite esports competitors including both physical and mental health.

Potential backtracking from their previous statements

We know in previous statements from the IOC they were concerned about the violence in a lot of the more popular games that would not jell well with the values of the Olympics. They do not want to promote shooting and battle royale style-games on the world stage. Focusing specifically on sports-related games or games with physical, VR-enabled elements is safer.

It could be argued the IOC has backtracked somewhat in its stance from 2017 saying they could see competitive gaming as a sporting activity. In any case, the competitive esports circuit isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but it’s going to be a bit of a wait to see esports fully integrated into the Olympics. Let us know what you think about this latest development and whether or not you want to see esports at the Olympics one day.