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E-mail Xinhua, June 15, 2024
The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has proposed the creation of "Olympic Esports Games" to the 142nd IOC Session during the 2024 Paris Games, IOC announced on Friday.
The EB received a presentation from the IOC Esports Commission and the proposal will be voted at the IOC Session in Paris.
"With the creation of the Olympic Esports Games, the IOC is taking a major step forward in keeping up with the pace of the digital revolution. We are very excited about how enthusiastically the esports community represented in our Esports Commission has engaged with this initiative," IOC President Thomas Bach said at the news conference.
"The Olympic Esports Games must happen under a new and a completely dedicated structure, where the Games and the structure must be clearly separated from the organizational and financial models which we apply for the Olympic Games," Bach said.
The Esports Forum in 2018 in Lausanne was the first engagement with the esports community of the IOC, and the Olympic Virtual Series was developed in 2021.
In 2023, the Olympic Esports Week was held in Singapore, which attracted over half a million fans and generated more than six million views of live competitions online.
During the three-day meeting, the EB also listened to the final preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, as the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee sent out three key messages - "We're ready. We're enthusiastic. We remain focused."
With just over 40 days to go, nearly 250 test events and operational activities have been launched and several key venues will become operational in the coming weeks.
Bach said, "I say, with a great confidence, that 42 days before the opening ceremony, Paris 2024 is ready and set. The Paris 2024 will be the first Olympic Games to be planned and delivered fully in line with the reforms of our Olympic Agenda 2020 - more urban, more sustainable, more inclusive, and more useful. They will be the very first Olympic Games with full gender parity."
