The eSports Olympics are getting closer

This week, the International Olympic Committee announced a 12-year partnership with Saudi Arabia for the organization of an independent event. The Kingdom recently hosted the eSports World Cup, with some fans, players and commentators boycotting the event in protest over human rights. The attitude towards the LGBT community and the lack of women's rights received criticism. Alban Dechelotte, CEO of G2 Esports, told BBC Newsbeat that the eSports version of the Olympic Games will strive for equal participation of men and women.

It's not a one-day trip

He emphasized that e-sports will continue to grow for another 20 years and that today it is clear that it is not a one-day fad. "For many years we can see millions of people watching the big finals of the tournaments. There's less fear and more of a kind of excitement about the potential," added Dechelotte.

He said the biggest turning point came in 2022 at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, where e-sports events were held in addition to traditional sports. "People from the Olympic Committee attended the events and said, 'Okay, now we understand,'" he says.

Despite declaring the experiment a success, the Commonwealth Games Federation announced that eSports would not be part of the 2026 Games in Australia.

At the time, they had not revealed plans to hold a separate event. Alban believes that this is the right decision, as it prevents existing games from becoming even bigger. "I think it gives more room for gaming and e-sports, instead of it being just one of the additional sports."

The big dilemma - which games to include in the competition?

It is not yet clear which games are expected to be included in the next competition. At the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, these were Rocket League, League of Legends, EA FC and Street Fighter.

There is some question as to whether first-person shooter games like Call of Duty and Counter-Strike 2, which are hugely popular in tournaments, will be included. It is also about finding a kind of balance between these games and the values that the International Olympic Committee wants to represent.

National teams would bring variety

A big difference between the tournaments and the Olympics would also be that the players would be part of the national team and not the teams we are used to in tournaments, which Alban is excited about. In this way, stars who otherwise play in different teams could come together, or two who are otherwise in tournaments in the same team, would now be in opposite teams. This can most easily be compared to teams and national teams in other sports, such as football.

Greater inclusion of female players

The announcement of the Olympic Games was followed by the aforementioned questions about the representation of women and gender equality. Alban says his experience in Saudi Arabia, where many high-profile eSports events have been organized, has been positive. Like World Cup bosses, he says he has received assurances from Saudi officials that the competition will be open to everyone, regardless of gender or sexuality.

However, not everyone is convinced of this, as eSports competitions are already facing criticism due to the lack of female representation – for example, only one out of 22 events is dedicated to female players. The rest are open to anyone, but they don't include very many professional women.

Alban admits that female players are currently underrepresented at the highest level. He promises that the Olympic Games in eSports will be different and next year the goal will be as equal participation as possible.