EIPlatform join the Esports Forum to be held at the Olympic Museum, Lausanne
- The International Olympic Committee (IOC), in partnership with the Global Association of International Sports Federation (GAISF) will host an Esports forum on July 21, 2018 at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.
- EIPlatform will be represented at the Esports Forum by Kirill Khayrullin of Team Empire
For a long time, traditional sports “purists” and esports enthusiasts have argued about whether or not esports should be considered actual sports. Last October, at the Olympic Summit, the IOC finally conceded that esports could be considered a sporting activity alongside regular sports.
As discussed in an earlier article, the competitive nature of esports and amount of training and dedication it takes to make it at the top level are comparable to traditional sports. Competitive esports requires incredible reflexes, resilience and fast real-time strategic thinking.
On July 21, The International Olympic Committee and Global Association of International Sports Federations are hosting an Esports Forum , with the aim of building a “joint understanding” between Olympic leaders and the esports world. Gaming executives, players, sponsors and events organizers will attend the forum to discuss, listen and learn from each other to better mutually understand the potential opportunities for collaboration. Kirill Khayrullin of Team Empire will be representing EIPlatform at the forum.
Topics to be discussed include such topics as Twitch streaming, gender equality, governance structures, media and investment in the esports industry. “We understand that sport never stands still and the phenomenal growth of esports and gaming is part of its continuing evolution,” GAISF President Patrick Baumann said in a statement.
The IOC has a history of exploring new competitions that younger people are interested in, such as snowboarding and BMX. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, skateboarding and surfing will be included as test events. The Olympic Council of Asia has already added esports to its list of events at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta with League of Legends, Hearthstone, Starcraft 2, Pro Evolution Soccer, Clash Royale and Arena Valor being included.
It seems likely that eventually esports will be included in the Olympics program in some form or other. The Esports Forum is a formal step in moving this forward and it seems likely that esports could be included as a demonstration sport in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Esports Interactive Platform is developing a global platform to enable direct interaction between brands, teams and audiences within the esports community. We strongly believe that we can help make a difference to the future growth of this exciting industry.
Please find more information about EIP and our roadmap on the EIPlatform website
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