We probably won’t see League of Legends at the Olympics anytime soon, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has at least made some concessions regarding esports. The Olympics consider there is “great potential” in esports, but not all esports.

It may not be much yet, but at some point, the IOC must realize that there’s a lot of skill in esports. It also requires a great deal of physical and mental preparation. Come on, “sport” is even in the name! Curling makes it in, but Tekken 7 isn’t good enough. Well, okay, then.

What Esports Are Considered Esports

During the eighth Olympic Summit this past Saturday, esports was heavily on the agenda. The Summit received a report from the IOC’s Esports and Gaming Liaison Group and International Cycling Union president David Lappartient.

The purpose of this was to discuss recommendations on promoting Olympic sports and Olympic values in sports and gaming. The IOC and Olympic Summit agreed on what is a “two-speed” approach to esports.

However, it’s only for “sports simulations.” A statement was made concerning this:

“Many sports simulations are becoming more and more physical thanks to Virtual and Augmented Reality, which replicate the traditional sports. The International Federations (IFs) are encouraged to consider how to govern electronic and virtual forms of their sport and explore opportunities with game publishers.”

Violent video games don’t align with Olympic Values. Tekken might be a fighting game, but it’s a literal tournament. They went on to say that the sports movement should continue to focus on players and gamers, rather than specific games.

That says to me they don’t want to admit other esports could be legitimate or allow them in. Another statement was made regarding this announcement: “A continuous dialogue between the Olympic Movement and esports and gaming communities should be fostered to develop strategic partnerships, including platforms and events as appropriate. The participants also agreed that guidelines for sustainable relationships between sports stakeholders and esports communities should be developed.”

The “two-speed strategy” sounds like a buzzword so far. But the positive side, sports simulations should make their way in at some point. I imagine it will focus on game style like racing, and perhaps Virtual Reality games, as they mentioned above.

It doesn’t seem like they want to focus on specific titles, but genres, and that’s fine. I want to see esports get their day in the sun. The point of this was designed to have esports as a full medal event at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. There are no plans for this as of right now for China.

Gold Medals in Esports

The Olympics aren’t the only game in town, though. The Olympic Council of Asia has led the charge for esports, as an example. The 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia featured six esports as demonstration events. While they weren’t in the main program, that’s a step in the right direction.

Zwift is going to feature the first-ever UCI Cycling Esports World Championship on their platform next year, as another example. An esports tournament was held as part of a cultural program for the European Games in Minsk in June, with a prize pool of $2,000.

It is also due to feature at next year’s Olympic Games after the International Olympic Committee and Intel announced a collaboration for Tokyo 2020. This “Intel World Open” features Rocket League and Street Fighter V, with a prize pool of $500,000.

There is also the Southeast Asian Games 2019 (SEA), where the first gold medal match took place on December 8th. At the SEA Games, the Philippines claimed the first-ever esports gold medal at the event.

For Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, The Philippines took Gold, Indonesia claimed silver, and Malaysia took home the bronze medal. That’s not the only game that took place there so far. Arena of Valor’s competition is still ongoing, with Indonesia’s EVOS Esports defeating Thailand’s Workpoint Fighting Fish 2-1.

This guarantees Indonesia gold or silver. Vietnam’s Mocha ZD Esports defeated Malaysia’s Ikan Mashin 2-1 also. The grand finals will take place today, and Vietnam will battle in the lower bracket finals to see who will make it to the grand finals, and who gets bronze.

Another major esport has begun at the SEA Games too, and that’s the titan known as DOTA 2. Team Adroit of The Philippines secured a spot in the grand finals and joining them will be Team Thailand. Vietnam’s 496 Gaming will claim the bronze medal.

There’s plenty of possibility for esports in an Olympic-style event. The SEA Games are primarily a sporting event. Despite last year’s Summit stating these discussions RE: video games at the Olympics were premature, it seems like genuine progress might be happening.

What Will It Take?

Another thing that the IOC pointed out was: “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.”

This was about other electronic games coming to the Olympics. Instead, the Committee stated above that these esports should focus on the players and gamers. This is another statement that feels a little cryptic to me.

I don’t want to read too much into it, but are they stating that potential esports need to have leagues and this style of focus on the player? I mean, I agree with them. Esports need to put a bigger focus on the health and well-being of their players. They should be treated like real athletes because they have incredible talent.

The health and well-being of esports athletes are often taken for granted. Perhaps if there’s some major reform in esports, the IOC may change their tune. What that would mean is that major esports federations and leagues must look into some reform. You want to join the Olympics and get your name out there?

It sounds like you need to treat your players better, esports. If you could make certain a genre of esports made it to an Olympic event, which would it be? We’d love to know!