Singapore to host inaugural edition of Olympic Esports Week in June 2023

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According to an announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the first edition of the Olympic Esports Week is to be held in Singapore in June 2023. This is slated to be a major platform for virtual sports, which will include gamers and athletes involved in both hybrid physical and fully simulated sports.

The event is to last four days and showcase the latest technologies, while hosting in-person live finals of the Olympic Esports Series. This is expected to be as popular as last year’s Olympic Virtual Series, which drew a participant pool of 250,000participants from 100 countries. The finals will be hosted in collaboration with the International Federations (IFs), and according to IOC President Thomas Bach, the Esports Week is a major milestone in the organization’s recognition and support of virtual sport. It is expected to not only foster collaboration between players and the IOC, but also welcome fans of virtual sports into the domain of the Olympics.

Singapore has previously hosted the inaugural edition of the Youth Olympic Games in 2010 and has been a long-term partner of the IOC in supporting innovation. According to Ng Ser Miang, who is the IOC Vice-President and Board Member of the Singapore National Olympic Committee (SNOC), Singapore had previously expressed the desire to diversify the Olympic Movement to include and develop virtual sports and has already hosted many events in the esports calendar, making it a perfect nation to host the IOC’s inaugural esports event. Further details are to be made available in early 2023.