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Gaming for gold: why the Olympic Games needs esports

Thirty-one world records were broken at the Paris 2024 Olympics. But now, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) must build on that success. One of the biggest challenges ahead for organizers is that sporting audiences in everything from the NBA and NFL to the Olympic Games consist of middle-aged viewers.

esports at the olympics

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Neil C. Hughes
Neil C. Hughes Contributor
Aug 26, 2024 3 min read

Thirty-one world records were broken at the Paris 2024 Olympics. But now, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) must build on that success. One of the biggest challenges ahead for organizers is that sporting audiences in everything from the NBA and NFL to the Olympic Games consist of middle-aged viewers.

Ultimately, the Olympic games are heading for big problems if they don't win over younger audiences who have little interest in traditional sports. This is why we have seen the introduction of BMX, surfing, skateboarding, and climbing become big hits at the games. For the most part, the gamble paid off, except for Breaking, which went viral for all the wrong reasons.

Breaking was introduced as a temporary new sport at the Paris Olympics. Although the next games will take place in the birthplace of breakdancing in the US, there are no plans to feature the event in the LA 2028 games. Could this be the moment when an opportunity opens up for esports to finally appear as an official Olympic sport?

Saudi Arabia to host the first Olympics Esports Games in 2025

Attitudes towards esports have changed dramatically since the 2010s, when conversations about esports and the Olympic Games were quickly shut down. Back then, the idea of digital sports at an event celebrating physical sports was miles apart from the ethos of the Olympics.

However, the scale of interest and commercial success on an international stage have made esports impossible to ignore. In 2023, the first official "Olympic Esports Week" appeared to be testing the waters and paving the way towards esports eventually becoming added as an Olympic event.

In its ongoing quest to appeal to younger fans, the IOC recently announced that it has partnered with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games 2025.

Attracting audiences vs upholding Olympic values

The main reason esports is being prepped for Olympic entry is the considerable attention it will bring to the games. The IOC will have noticed that the 2023 League of Legends World Championship enjoyed a global audience of 6.4 million people. However, there are many hurdles to overcome before esports are taken seriously.

The problem is that the global esports audience is mainly interested in genres such as multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), fighting, and first-person shooter (FPS) games. These games are considered too violent or contradictory to Olympic values.

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The danger for the IOC is that they need to secure the vast audiences that esports brings. However, esports fans would have little interest in watching or following watered-down, family-friendly events where favorite titles such as Dota 2, Fortnite, Counter-Strike, and Call of Duty are missing. Until both sides come closer together, esports seems a long way from being accepted as an Olympic sport.

Traditionalists and health experts would also question the ethics of promoting spending hours hunched over a keyboard or controller as part of an Olympic journey. But if it did happen, we might have to get used to carpal tunnel syndrome and back problems to join the more conventional Achilles injuries in the Olympic games.

Why should esports be considered an Olympic sport?

Esports has become a multi-billion-dollar industry, and its exclusion is beginning to look out of touch with audiences under 30. The Olympic games were built on the spirit of those competing rather than the sport or event itself, making esports a perfect fit.

A recent poll by Jiji Press revealed that more than 40% of people in their 30s and younger in Japan strongly believe that esports will become an Olympic sport. So, what’s holding it back?

One of the sticking points is that some of the most popular esports games are incredibly violent and go against the Olympic values. However, boxing, taekwondo, and fencing bring Olympic sports closer to digital sports than apart.

Others will instantly react with something about the Olympics being about athleticism. But archery, shooting, golf, and chess don't fit that narrative. So, if esports can shed its image problem and tendency towards violence, there is a strong argument that it should be considered as a future Olympic sport.

The inevitability of esports in the Olympic family

News that the Olympics will hold its first esports games in 2025 feels like the first step toward aligning the cultures of traditional sports and esports. The inaugural Olympic esports games will ease into the space with nonviolent crowdpleasers such as League of Legends, Rocket League, iRacing, and FIFA.

Mainstream acceptance of esports will take time. But as its popularity continues to rise in parallel with younger audiences turning away from traditional sports, it seems inevitable.

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