New series spotlights virtual sports with eye toward future Olympic inclusion

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL — The Olympic Virtual Series, a gaming showcase for the e-versions of five physical sports including baseball and sailing, is at its core an attempt for the International Olympic Committee to reach a younger audience. But the series, which kicked off earlier this month and runs through Olympic Day on June 23, is also the first real indicator that virtual physical sports — and, perhaps, non-physical esports — may have a formal place in the Olympic Games by LA28. 

“The real opportunity around an Olympic Virtual Series for this year came actually with the postponement of Tokyo,” said IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell, who noted that lockdown-related spikes in gaming activity were a major driver of the IOC’s urgency. “We saw massive increases in the number of people playing NBA 2K, FIFA 21 and the emerging titles as well. Reflecting that growth, and reflecting the opportunity that the postponement of Tokyo gave us to actually do something before Tokyo when we had that window created … we felt there was a real convergence and a unique opportunity to bring those elements together. So we seized it rather quickly.” [MORE]