IOC board proposes e-sports Olympics

Lausanne: The International Olympic Committee plans to launch an e sport Olympic Games , separate from the traditional Olympic Games, IOC president T...

Lausanne: The International Olympic Committee plans to launch an "e-sport Olympic Games", separate from the traditional Olympic Games, IOC president Thomas Bach announced on Friday.

The Olympic body's executive board, on the third and final day of its meeting in Lausanne, proposed the new competition to be voted on at a general assembly in Paris on the eve of the summer Olympics.

"The IOC is already in advanced discussions with a potential host and an announcement can be expected very soon," said an IOC press release, without specifying how often such an event would take place or what sports would be included.

The IOC, in its perpetual quest to reconcile Olympic tradition with attempts to attract a younger audience, held an initial "Olympic e-sport week" in Singapore in June 2023, consisting of "ten mixed-gender category events." Last October, the IOC set up an "e-sport commission" chaired by Frenchman David Lappartient, the president of the international cycling union (UCI), to consider a dedicated competition.

"With the creation of Olympic Esports Games, the IOC is taking a major step forward and is keeping up with the pace of the digital revolution," said Bach in a statement posted on social media.