In an Olympic Summit last week, held under IOC President Thomas Bach, Summit members had a common agreement that E-sports might be considered a legitimate sport. [Thanks, The Inquirer]
The basis for the argument was based on the intensity of training which competitive gamers underwent, ‘which may be comparable to athletes in traditional sports’. The statement released after the Summit also stated that e-Sports could provide a platform for engagement with the Olympic Movement, and it was also recognized that e-Sports had strong growth among the youth across many countries.
According to the IOC, in order for e-Sports to become a legitimate sport it must not infringe on the Olympic values, and there would also need to be an organization which would watch over the compliances with rules and regulations of the Olympic Movement. However, this might just be the first step taken towards Olympics-level E-sports.
