IOC confirms Singapore as hosts for first-ever Olympic Esports Week in June 2023

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The first Olympic Esports Week will be held in Singapore between June 22 and June 25, 2023, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The announcement is a significant step towards engaging avid gamers and fostering the growth of virtual sports inside the Olympic Movement.

The Olympic Esports Week, a four-day festival that includes showcasing the newest technologies, panel discussions, educational sessions, and show matches, will highlight the best of virtual sports, including hybrid physical and simulated sports, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Sport Singapore and the Singapore National Olympic Committee (SNOC).

IOC President Thomas Bach said, “The first Olympic Esports Week marks an important milestone in our ambition to support the growth of virtual sports within the Olympic Movement. We believe the exciting new format of our virtual sports competition, with live finals to be staged for the first time, is an opportunity to collaborate further with esports players and to create new opportunities for players and fans alike.”

It is a perfect opportunity to be partnering with Singapore, which has a history of supporting innovation in the Olympic Movement, hosting the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010, so we are looking forward to working together closely,” he added.

While SNOC Board member and IOC Vice-President Ng Ser Miang said, “The Singapore NOC shares the Olympic Movement’s ambitions of exploring the development of virtual sports. Singapore has a track record of successfully hosting some of the biggest events in the virtual sports and esports calendar – we are honored to be collaborating with the IOC to bring this shared vision to life.”

Earlier in October, Esports was removed as a medal event from the Commonwealth Games 2026. No solid reasons were given as to who it was removed, but rumours suggest it has something to do with doping as a test for every game and player was problematic.

Fans and players were not pleased with this decision but still hoped to see video games on a bigger platform, as esports was proposed as an official medal event at the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) 2025.

With esports being a part of the Olympics 2023, fans are hopeful as the players will get another chance to prove themselves. India recently won a bronze medal at the first-ever Commonwealth Esports Championship in Birmingham and are expecting much more from them in the coming tournaments.

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