Esports possibly joining the Olympics
27 Jul '21 18:56https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/07/24/tokyo-olympics-esports/
After years of discussion over how and whether the Olympics should integrate competitive video gaming, esports had their place alongside traditional sports at the Tokyo Games this year. The only differences between the two forms of competition were that the esports matches took place entirely online, were laggy, and were held outside of the official Olympics, before the Opening Ceremonies began.
Video game players competing at the highest levels of “Street Fighter V” and “Rocket League” battled for a share of a $500,000 prize pool at the all-virtual Intel World Open. In 2019, Intel presented its event to the media, teasing that at the Tokyo Olympics, esports would be positioned alongside traditional sports, and similarly feature competitors at the highest level.
The event was originally planned to be held in person at Zepp Divercity in Tokyo, adjacent to the Aomi Urban Sports Park Olympic venue, and feature top-tier professional and amateur gamers, a showcase for esports as the International Olympic Committee continues to mull adding competitive video gaming to future Games.
Since at least 2017, there have been discussions about esports becoming part of the Olympics, even as sports aimed at younger audiences joined the Games, including skateboarding and surfing in Tokyo. This year, those conversations led to esports gaining a more significant presence in professional competition. In April, the IOC announced it would hold virtual auto racing, baseball, cycling, rowing and sailing competitions, ahead of the Summer Games. However, those competitions omitted the most popular game titles in esports, such as “League of Legends” and “Dota 2,” and focused instead on games that replicated traditional sports with limited player bases.
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