IOC eases off support for esports in Olympics

Associated PressDec 8, 2018, 1:45 PM EST
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LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The International Olympic Committee has slowed its support for recognizing electronic gaming as a sport.

After an Olympic leaders’ meeting on Saturday, the IOC says “discussion about the inclusion of esports/egames as a medal event on the Olympic program is premature.”

Enthusiasm has seemed to dim since the IOC hosted a July conference with esports organizers and players.

Sports bodies are now advised to “continue to engage with this (gaming) community, whilst at the same time acknowledging that uncertainties remain.”

The IOC rules out cooperation with violent games, and suggests virtual and augmented reality could become more popular with young people.

“Commercially driven” gaming was also compared unfavorably with “values-based” sports.

The IOC says governing bodies will continue meeting gaming industry officials “to explore jointly collaborative projects.”

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Sports execs oppose esports in Olympics, survey shows

Associated PressSep 25, 2018, 12:38 PM EDT
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LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — A global survey of sports industry executives shows 57 percent oppose Olympic status for video gaming.

Audit firm PwC says more than 400 sports industry professionals from 42 countries answered an online questionnaire for its annual survey. The findings were discussed Tuesday at the Olympic Museum, where the IOC hosted an esports conference in July on possible Olympic status for the booming games market.

The PwC survey asked “Is esports an Olympic sport?“: 28 percent said, “no, because esports does not qualify as ‘sport,’” and 29 percent said esports should grow independently of the Olympics.

A further 26.7 percent said esports must first unify under a single governing body, and 10.4 percent said esports should join “as soon as possible.” Almost 6 percent said they did not know or abstained.

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MORE: IOC boss: esports has no Olympic future with violence

Esports has no Olympic future with violence, Thomas Bach says

Associated PressSep 1, 2018, 9:58 AM EDT
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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach isn’t certain if, or when, esports might be incorporated into the Olympic Games.

But he was clear in an interview with The Associated Press at the Asian Games on Saturday about the need to meet some conditions before being considered.

“We cannot have in the Olympic program a game which is promoting violence or discrimination,” he told the AP. “So-called killer games. They, from our point of view, are contradictory to the Olympic values and cannot therefore be accepted.”

Esports is being held for the first time at the Asian Games as a demonstration sport, and could be a full-medal event in four years in Hangzhou, China.

Could the Olympics be next?

The IOC has been mulling over many of these questions since holding an esports forum in July at IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Bach still needs convincing. He won an Olympic gold medal in fencing, which uses swords, and tried to draw a distinction.

“Of course every combat sport has its origins in a real fight among people,” he said. “But sport is the civilized expression about this. If you have egames where it’s about killing somebody, this cannot be brought into line with our Olympic values.”

Asian Games organizers several days ago expressed sympathy for victims of the deadly shooting at a video games tournament in a Florida shopping mall.

They faulted U.S. gun laws, not esports.

“But I think this is a bigger issue of gun control and access to guns,” said Kenneth Fok, president of the Asian Electronic Sports Federation, following the shooting.

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