The International Olympic Committee wants to attract a younger audience to the Olympics and is attentive to the games industry, which is evolving and increasingly engaging the new generation. Therefore, eSports have already entered the entity's sights, although there is no date for something to really change.
James Macleod, director of relations with the National Olympic Committees and Olympic Solidarity, understands that the renewal of the Olympic program is an irreversible process and that “the games industry is constantly evolving. We look at these games that are linked to sports and where there is physical activity. Last year, we launched the Virtual Olympic Series. Sailing, cycling... All supported by international federations," he explained to Folha.
The goal of the IOC is “to encourage people to play eSports instead of games like League of Legends. But we are also aware of that," he said. The entity wants to encourage the practice of electronic modalities of traditional sports.
He understands that the time to discuss this topic is coming, but he believes that the virtual modalities that are valid for the Olympic program need to have physical effort, simulating the real movements of sports.
What makes it difficult to renew the Olympic program, which is irreversible, is that for each sport that enters, another must leave, he thinks. According to him, eSports will soon be in the Olympics, but there is still no format and modalities defined, even depending on the agreement of some and the disagreement of other members of the International Olympic Committee.
The president of the Olympic Committee of Brazil, Paulo Wanderley, for example, agrees that this inclusion will happen and that this is inevitable, but discards the games of “egames” between the modalities and that it will fight against it.
This stance is consistent with Macleod's thinking about modalities that are virtual sports or just electronic games. Part of the movement towards opening up to new and modern sports comes from the wave of renewal that arrived with the entry of skateboarding, climbing and surfing in the last Olympics and with the inclusion of breaking - or breakdance - for Paris 2024, which was a success at the 2018 Youth Games in Buenos Aires.
It remains to be seen who will leave in the future to make room for eSports. Karate and baseball have already been excluded, and in Los Angeles 2028 boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon are out.
The focus on rejuvenating the Olympic program is one of the recommendations of the Olympic Agenda 2020+5, published last year. According to Macleod, the effort is to keep the list of modalities interesting and relevant to attract young people. It is not a new process, but it should be accentuated.
Source: GMB / Folha / ge
