The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is considering making esports medal-worthy as early as the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“It could be a medal-winning competition, like swimming, reflecting what we called the Agenda 2020+5 published last March, and it’s very clear; it opens the door to these virtual physical sports,” commented a spokesperson for the sports organization, specifying that this only concerns esports that are “a complete replication in a virtual world of a traditional sport”, such as Zwift, the cycling simulation where players pedal on a home trainer connected to a virtual world, which is already very developed and has a partnership with the International Cycling Union and is part of the Olympic Virtual Series.
The IOC is also following with interest the rowing simulation, which is the second most developed sports simulation, and is monitoring the evolution of virtual running and taekwondo.
“The technology will bring us plenty of new things in the seven years leading up to the LA Olympics, and that’s precisely why we want to occupy this space. We want to reach it, we want massive participation in the Olympic Virtual Series,” plans the IOC, adding: “As technology develops, we will see more games, but also better versions of games that already exist and truly replicate physical sport.”
However, combat or strategy games like League of Legends or Fortnite, despite having “a lot of similarities” with gamers and Olympic athletes, will not be eligible for medals, as the Olympic program today focuses on electronic forms of traditional sports.
