You’ve heard of the Summer Olympics, the Youth Olympics and the Paralympics. Now get ready for the Olympic Esports Week, an esports festival with four days dedicated to virtual sports and games.
The inaugural event kicked off in Singapore yesterday (Jun 22) and will last until Sunday (Jun 25), promising a whole slew of fun activities and competitions over the weekend.
In light of the successful Olympic Virtual Series in 2021, the Olympics committee collaborated with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Sport Singapore, and the Singapore National Olympic Council to organise the festival.
Held at Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre, the event will feature 10 simulated sports including taekwondo, shooting and chess. In between competitions and finals, ticketholders can also watch their favourite esports players playing games like Street Fighter 6 and Rocket League during exhibition matches. If you’ve ever wanted to watch Taniguchi “Tokido” Hajime play Street Fighter 6 in real life, now’s your chance!
Of course, it’s not all about watching others game – a large bulk of the event venue is occupied by the free-to-play zone, where ticketholders can go around trying out video games and latest innovations in esports for free. In just one day, participants can try indoor cycling with Zwift, compete in five different sports with Pentathlon TabletGame, and take a break with some Street Fighter 6.
Some have noticed that the ‘esports’ featured in the line-up are mostly sports simulation games as opposed to traditional video games. In particular, the esports community has criticised the event for leaving out multiplayer titles like DOTA 2 and League of Legends, popular games that typically headline e-sports competitions.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) responded that the featured games should not promote violence, which goes against the Olympic values.
There are currently no plans to integrate esports gaming into the official Olympic Games, which explains the lack of video games during this event. But whether esports gamers are playing a sports simulation game or a fighting game, they ultimately have to be respectful to their fellow competitors.
Speaking about the importance of sportsmanship during the Olympic Esports Week, Thomas Bach, the President of the IOC, said: “To all the players: now is your moment to shine. Always compete in the spirit of excellence, respect and fair play. Because being a true champion is about so much more than winning.”
