Esports at new Olympic Virtual Series just before Tokyo 2020

Just before the Tokyo Olympic Games are set to kick off a new competition called the Olympic Virtual Series will take place. An official event organised by the International Olympic Committee, players will compete for digital gold medals.

While you might have expected top tier titles such as League of Legends or Counter-Strike, the Olympic Virtual Series is more oriented around the “traditional” sports competitions at the Olympics. Here the list of games and organisers for the announced events.

• Baseball – World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) – eBaseball Powerful Pro Baseball 2020
• Cycling – Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) – Zwift
• Rowing – World Rowing – Open format
• Sailing – World Sailing – Virtual Regatta
• Car Racing – Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) – Gran Turismo

While the new competition is a step forward for Olympic acceptance of esports, it will still be a while until we will see the more traditional esport titles at the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee has repeatedly announced their discomfort with the displays of violence in video games.

An important first step

Nevertheless the event is a step in the right direction as it finally recognizes the positive aspects of esports. Best shown by the statement of IOC president Thomas Bach: “The Olympic Virtual Series is a new, unique Olympic digital experience that aims to grow direct engagement with new audiences in the field of virtual sports. Its conception is in line with Olympic Agenda 2020+5 and the IOC’s digital strategy. It encourages sports participation and promotes the Olympic values with a special focus on youth.”

Additional information regarding the event will be available on the official website soon.

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Image Credits: IOC Media