Historic Milestone for Esports
On February 11th, during the afternoon session in Vietnam, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially announced significant news: Esports will have its own dedicated Olympic event, set to be held in 2027. The venue will be Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. According to the IOC, there will also be an Olympic event for Esports in 2025, but after careful consideration, 2027 was deemed more suitable.
This can be seen as a significant advancement for electronic sports. Until now, the community of electronic sports has always hoped for Esports to be considered alongside traditional sports. However, due to its relative infancy, Esports has only been able to take tentative steps forward.
In 2023, Esports was included in the Asian Games (ASIAD). By 2024, Saudi Arabia is set to host a major international tournament akin to the World Cup. According to some experts and financial reports, this tournament in Saudi Arabia has greatly boosted the visibility of Esports, especially with prominent teams like T1 participating.
Common Perceptions of Esports Audiences
According to reports, many audiences have raised the question for the IOC: which Esports titles will be selected for the inaugural event dedicated to electronic sports? As everyone understands, there are certain criteria of the Olympics that will be distinctly different from many Esports titles, especially popular competitive games like League of Legends and DOTA 2.
Recently, there has been information regarding the IOC considering which Esports titles could contribute to the overall Olympic event alongside traditional sports. However, this issue arises when specific titles in the list may not have enough players and have not yet attracted significant audience interest. The ongoing discussions will continue to evolve until the final updates are made.
In another context, if the IOC indeed creates a separate Olympic event for Esports, it would be a remarkable achievement. Fans are eagerly hoping to see superstars like Faker continue to shine on this stage, whether as players or potentially as coaches, especially since by 2027, they will be in their early thirties.
