International Olympic Committee (IOC) is partnering with five International Sports Federations and game publishers to launch the inaugural Olympic Virtual Series (OVS). National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) along with MPL is working towards bridging the gap between virtual shooting and the real-world sport, therefore it will help to propagate esports in India and identify talent and help groom prospective champions with the the first e-shooting game.
NRAI along with MPL is also working on physical infrastructure for shooting which still needs a lot of development and is inaccessible to most Indians.
The virtual game have to abide by the rules and principles set by International Olympic committee and the ISSF. It is scheduled to be held ahead of the Tokyo Olympics 2021, the OVS has begun on 13 May and will end on 23 June 2021. With out any doubt the series will organise esports enthusiasts from all around the world to reach a new Olympic audience.
“We welcome the IOC’s move to introduce virtual Esport versions of real world physical sport in the inaugural Olympic Virtual Series. We are sure this will encourage people to take up these sports virtually and potentially chart a way for them to emerge as champions in the physical sport”, said NRAI president Raninder Singh.
NRAI believes that virtual versions of Olympic-style shooting sports will help evoke an interest among the masses and might serve as a gateway to people looking to enter the real sport.
Padmashri, Khel Ratna and Olympic Medallist Gagan Narang shared, “India has never had a dearth of talent in shooting, and the recently concluded World Cup is a strong validation of the potential. As I have realized, technology is increasingly playing an important role in improving player performances, and gamifying the experience by initiatives as envisioned by NRAI and ably supported by MPL will not only amplify player engagement, but critically increase fan awareness about competitive sports. India needs many more such interventions across sports.”
In this regard, NRAI is working with MPL to develop a mobile version of a shooting game, which is ssheduled to be released on Independence Day, 15August 2021.
The game is a, simulator style, non-violent shooting game with ISSF style trap and skeet formats. The NRAI to host pandemic permitting, hybrid tournaments around Independence Day which will allow the best virtual shooters to be trained by prominent shooting champions in India.
“We are pleased to be developing a non-violent Olympic-style shooting game with MPL. We will use this shooting simulator game to create interest, educate and train an audience of millions of internet users about the physical sport of shooting. We will also be hosting tournaments where the best virtual shooters get a chance to compete and participate in physical shooting. Online engagement will feed into offline interest which in turn will open the doors of our sport to many more Indians”, said NRAI President Raninder Singh.
Mobile Premier League co-founder and CEO Sai Srinivas aims to take esports to the masses via mobile, said, “This is a monumental step taken by IOC to introduce the first ever Olympic-licensed virtual series. NRAI was already a first mover in recognizing the potential for e-shooting. Esports has witnessed a meteoric rise in India over the past few years and is recognized as a proper sporting career path in many regions of the world. An IOC-approved tournament announced before the Olympics will certainly help Esports get its due and encourage people to consider it as a professional option.”
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