(ATR) The IOC will host a variety of stakeholders related to the esports industry for a one day summit in July.
Thomas Bach expressed opinions in the past about esports, keeping the door open for the discipline to join the Olympic program on the IOC’s terms. In an interview with Sport Intern the IOC President gave details about the first ever concrete meeting in the Olympic capital.
"The idea is to enter into a dialogue with the gaming industry and the athletes and, in due course, approach the stakeholders of the Olympic Movement again," Bach said about the meeting.
Esports and the IOC have grown closer in recent years with TOP Sponsor Intel holding a demonstration event at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics. Esports will be featured as a demonstration sport at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, and will be a full medal event at the 2022 Games in Hangzhou, China.
Last October, an "Olympic Summit" was held in Lausanne where esports were discussed. The summit said that "competitive ‘eSports’ could be considered as a sporting activity, and the players involved prepare and train with an intensity which may be comparable to athletes in traditional sports". However, any esport included in the Olympic program must "not infringe on the Olympic values".
Bach reiterated that belief to Sport Intern saying "we need to draw a red line and make it clear that [violent] games can never be part of the Olympic Movement".
By meeting with esports industry stakeholders the IOC is taking another formal step to bringing the sport closer to the Olympic program. The International e-Sports Federation says it wants to be a demonstration sport at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The program for the Paris Games has not been fully decided, but the Olympics haven’t seen a demonstration sport since 1992. Currently the IeSF has only 47 member federations worldwide, which would need to be increased before Olympic recognition.
Written by Aaron Bauer
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