International Olympic Committee Is Hosting an eSports Forum

DualShockers

By Emily Hobbs

Published Jul 1, 2018

The IOC is planning to host a forum about the possibility of eSports at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland later this month.

eSports is coming to the Olympics! Er...well, that's not true, but they are being considered in the future of the Olympics thanks to an upcoming meeting with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF).

Yes, on July 21 at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, the IOC and GAISF plans to meet with eSports players, publishers, teams, media, sponsors, event organizers, and representatives from the Olympic Movement to "explore synergies, build joint understanding and set a platform for future engagement between the esports and gaming industries and the Olympic Movement."

According to said GAISF president Patrick Baumann, "Along with the IOC, the GAISF looks forward to welcoming the esports and gaming community to Lausanne. We understand that sport never stands still and the phenomenal growth of esports and gaming is part of its continuing evolution. The Esports Forum provides an important and extremely valuable opportunity for us to gain a deeper understanding of esports, their impact and likely future development so that we can jointly consider the ways in which we may collaborate to the mutual benefit of all of sport in the years ahead."

Additionally, IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell said: “We are pleased to be hosting our first “Esports Forum”, which is a great opportunity for both the Olympic Movement and representatives from the world of esports and gaming to begin a discussion, listen and learn from each other, and understand the potential opportunities for collaboration. The IOC and GAISF are closely following the rapid development of esports globally, and we look forward to a really engaging discussion.”

Planned forum panels include: “The World of Esports”, “Interview: What Defines the Olympic Movement?”, “Interview: The Key To Twitch’s Success”, “Keynote Speaker: Spotlight On Intel Extreme Masters Pyeongchang”, “Future Opportunities For Collaboration", “Interview: A Day In The Life Of An Elite Player”, and “Panel: Gender Equality In All Sports”.