IOC Plans to Organize Esports Olympic Games
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is considering the possibility of organizing Olympic Games for esports. This announcement was made by IOC President Thomas Bach during the opening ceremony of the 141st IOC session held in Mumbai, India. The corresponding statement has been posted on the International Olympic Committee's website.
Thomas Bach revealed that he has already instructed the IOC's special committee to explore this idea, taking into account the enormous global popularity of esports. According to him, the potential audience for such games is approximately 3 billion people, with around 500 million showing specific interest in esports rather than just video games. "What's even more important is that the majority of this audience is under 34 years old. The younger generation has a completely different way of thinking. They live a digital life, and we must not ignore their perspective if we don't want to jeopardize our own future," emphasized Thomas Bach during his address.
The IOC has been actively involved in the world of esports since 2018 and even hosted its first tournament known as the "Olympic Virtual Series" in 2021.
"Building on the experience of this Olympic Virtual Series, we launched the Olympic Esports Week in Singapore earlier this year. In Singapore, we saw evidence that our comprehensive approach is working. We successfully brought together the Olympic and esports communities," stated the President of the International Olympic Committee.
In 2023, the committee plans to hold competitions in various esports disciplines, including chess (Chess.com), car racing (Gran Turismo), tennis (Tennis Clash), baseball (WBSC eBASEBALL: Power Pros), and others. The Olympic esports series has already gathered over 500,000 participants, including qualifiers, and has over 6 million live broadcasts, with 75% of the viewers falling into the age group of 13 to 34 years.
It's worth noting that The Gaze reported how the video game industry is attracting record investments. In particular, the government of Saudi Arabia is allocating $38 billion to transform the country into a global hub for video games. In search of a replacement for oil, which is the cornerstone of the Middle Eastern leader's economy, Riyadh has chosen gaming. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund announced its ambitions to become a leader in the global gaming market with an investment worth $184 billion. Overall, it is expected that the Middle East and North Africa gaming market will grow by 56% to $2.79 billion by 2026.