LAUSANNE: The International Olympic Committee is all set to host the inaugural ‘eSports Forum’ on July 21 alongside the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) at the Olympic Musuem in the city.
The main agenda of the forum will reportedly be to explore opportunities to collaborate and building a joint understanding between the eSports and gaming industries and the Olympic Movement for future engagement.
Representatives from across the eSports and gaming ecosystem such as players, publishers, teams, media, sponsors and event organisers will be attending the event alongside members of the IOC, National Olympic Committees, International Sports Federations and Athletes.
GAISF president Patrick Baumann said: “Along with the IOC, the GAISF looks forward to welcoming the eSports and gaming community to Lausanne. We understand that sport never stands still and the phenomenal growth of eSports and gaming is part of its continuing evolution. The eSports Forum provides an important and extremely valuable opportunity for us to gain a deeper understanding of eSports, their impact and likely future development, so that we can jointly consider the ways in which we may collaborate to the mutual benefit of all of sport in the years ahead.”
IOC Sports director Kit McConnell said: “We are pleased to be hosting our first “eSports Forum”, which is a great opportunity for both the Olympic Movement and representatives from the world of eSports and gaming to begin a discussion, listen and learn from each other, and understand the potential opportunities for collaboration. The IOC and GAISF are closely following the rapid development of eSports globally, and we look forward to a really engaging discussion.”
In October 2017, an Olympic Summit was held which had asked the IOC and GAISF to initiate a dialogue with the gaming industry and players, keeping all the stakeholders of the Olympic movement in the loop.
