The Olympics is one of the oldest athletic events in history and carries a lot of cultural and political weight. We recognize its sports as important to society on a global level, so gaming potentially joining those ranks is a big deal.
With the Olympic Virtual Series more or less opening the event in 2021, questions emerge as to what this means for video gaming. Let’s explore its potential as an Olympic sport, but also whether letting it in would be a good idea.
What Is the Olympic Virtual Series For?
The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) wants the event to engage new audiences and draw them into the world of athletics. The hope is that video games like Gran Turismo and Zwift will inspire Olympic participation.
However, despite the prizes and prestigious logo, the Series is more of an appetizer to the main event. It doesn’t recognize gaming as an Olympic-class sport, a status that’s actually very difficult to achieve.
Gaming Is Physically Taxing but More Mind-Based
According to the IOC’s website, it only accepts sports with global participation and backing from an International Sports Federation (IF). Many other rules and regulations apply, like the sport or discipline being a purely physical and not mental activity.
Car racing and chess aren’t recognized as Olympic sports any more than gaming is. Even though eSports pros go through reflex training and physical therapy just to cope and perform well, the activity itself relies more on technology and cognitive skills.
Gaming Is a Global Phenomenon
If there’s one part of the IOC’s criteria that the gaming industry doesn’t worry about, it’s the widespread participation. Apart from casual gamers, it has several eSports leagues and competitions taking over the world.
A FIFA blog post reveals that the 2021 FIFAe Club World Cup gathered 480 international teams. Then, there’s the Electronic Sports League (ESL) that runs a range of events in different countries for Counter Strike, Dota 2, League of Legends, and other popular titles.
This level of involvement is more than enough for an IF to push for video gaming to be considered for the Olympics. Even so, the activity’s makeup would still be an issue, no matter how entertaining or inspiring it is.
Gaming as an Olympic Sport Is a Slippery Slope
Another factor the IOC considers: does a sport or discipline reflect its contemporary world while also increasing the value of the Olympics? Video gaming is definitely a staple of modern society, clearly appreciated by the institution or the Olympic Virtual Series wouldn’t be happening.
That said, gaming barely fits the physical requirements. Not only would it stand out, but advocates of similar activities just as eager to be included would redouble their efforts, if not take serious offence. In a way, maintaining and respecting the boundaries set for the Olympics keeps the peace.
The good news is that there are ways to accommodate alternative sports. Better yet, people with the power to make such changes are open to ideas and already paving the way for them.
Hopeful Solutions for Olympic Gaming
As video game technology evolves, eSports may become a lot more physical. Just look at what room-scale and other VR gaming involves and think of its potential in an athletic setting. Given time, pro gamers could meet all Olympic requirements.
If not, it’s not impossible that the Olympic Virtual Series will grow into a digital version of the key event to include medals, delegations, and so on. Considering we already have Summer, Winter, and Paralympic games, the IOC could launch Virtual Olympics too.
Another idea would be to widen the scope of this new event to welcome all mind-based activities. This means games like chess, Go, backgammon, and more would finally have the recognition and platform they deserve alongside eSports.
Technology and Sports: A Relationship to Watch
There’s no denying that technology is changing sports, from how we perform and monitor our abilities to how we watch them and interact with them. eSports embodies that fact, while empowering a range of modern competitors and audiences the IOC wants to attract.
The problem is that gaming is not ready to join the main physical Olympics. At the same time, mental skills have always been at the core of human society. An Olympic event to honor that could finally be on the horizon. In that sense, video gaming would and should be an Olympic sport.
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