In news that I never thought I’d live long enough to be typing, the Olympic esports Games are officially happening. But in words that I somehow always knew would follow: not really.
When many of us hear and use the term “esports”, we’re thinking about games like Dota 2, League of Legends, and Counter-Strike 2. We also think of players like Faker, s1mple, or SonicFox as the best the sport has to offer.
However, unless Faker suddenly becomes very into Virtual Taekwondo, he won’t fly the esports flag at the Olympics anytime soon. So, earlier this morning, the International Olympic Committee approved the creation of the Olympic Esports Games after a popular vote.
A HISTORIC VOTE!
The 142nd IOC Session votes for the creation of the Olympic Esports Games.
Mark the date 🥳 pic.twitter.com/CPRrwrirba
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) July 23, 2024
While talking about this new decision, IOC President Thomas Bach said:
This is truly a new era for the IOC. With the confirmation by the IOC Session of the creation of the Olympic Esports Games, we are keeping up with the pace of the digital revolution.
The esports community, represented in our Esports Commission, has enthusiastically engaged with this initiative. This is further proof of the attractivity of the Olympic brand and the values it stands for among young people.
However, this doesn’t mean esports will just be part of the Olympics. Instead, it will be an Olympic event that will run separately from the traditional Olympics, with Saudi Arabia being the first place to host it next year.
This event also won’t feature your “traditional” esports games; and instead, the confirmed events will be:
Gran Turismo 7
Tennis Clash
Virtual Taekwondo
eBaseball Power Pros
and
Just Dance
I don’t want to sound like a Debbie Downer because I am always happy to see gaming and esports become more mainstream, but this is hardly the representation many wanted and had hoped for. Featuring obscure sports simulators isn’t a great way to represent the scene or showcase some of the top players, and that’s almost sadder than not having esports included in the Olympics at all.
But now I want to know your thoughts on all this. Are you excited to witness the Faker of eBaseball, or is this just not your kind of esports? Let me know in the comments.