Should Esports Be in the Olympics?

Esports have gained immense popularity over the past few years leading to sites like

ggbet casino recording unbelievable numbers of gamers playing on their platform. This popularity

has not gone unnoticed and there has been talk about recognizing esports as a sport and

even incorporating them into guess what? The Olympics! The IOC even recently organized

an esports forum to deliberate on this.

And that’s not all, the organizers of the next Olympic games to be held in Paris in 2024 have

also been mulling over the idea of including esports as part of the participating games. With

all this interest, for esports lovers, the future has never been this bright.

Is Esport a Sport?

A sport according to the definition should have some physicality, competitiveness, and be

institutionalized. While esports are competitive and institutionalized, most critics believe it

lacks physicality. Supporters, however, argue that hand movements with the game controls

fulfill the physical part as it's almost similar to games like table tennis.

For a sport to be allowed into the Olympics it has to first be recognized by the IOC. For this

recognition to happen, the sport has to have an International Federation governing it. The

federation’s role is to enforce rules and regulations. Once the IOC has recognized the sport,

the federation can then apply to be admitted into the Olympic Games Program as a sport.

Since 1896 when the Olympics as we know it was first held, the number of sports has been

growing from a paltry 9 to 33 in 2020. With more games being recognized, we might enjoy

esports in the Olympics sooner than ever imagined.

Male Domination

Another condition set by the IOC for a sport to be allowed to participate in the Olympics, is

gender equality. Esports have received much criticism for being more male-dominated.

This is although not entirely the truth according to a study conducted recently on gender and

gaming that found the number of males and females playing esports to approximately be the

same. However, most professional players were found to be male.

With all said and done, many Olympians and esports enthusiasts feel that in the near future

esports will be in the Olympics.

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