Cover image source: esportsobserver
Despite showing interest in esports earlier, the International Olympics Committee has come out and said that it is still too early to discuss any real scope.
Any discussion to include esports as a medal event at the Olympic Games is premature because of the way the gaming industry is structured.
Already the IOC has recognized esports as a competitive sport and it was included as a medal sport at the Asian Games in Jakarta, earlier this year. It is also set to be a medal sport at the Asian Games in 2022.
According to the IOC “Some egames are not compatible with the Olympic values and therefore cooperation with them is excluded” is what came out of the discussion between the Olympic stakeholders at an Olympic Summit in Lausanne.
"It also noted that the industry was changing rapidly, while also being fragmented with competition between major commercial operators.
The industry is commercially driven, while on the other hand the sports movement is values-based
For all these reasons, a discussion about the inclusion of esports/egames as a medal event on the Olympic programme is premature.”
Source: Reuters