Australia Leading the Push Towards eSports’ Olympic Inclusion

Australia is currently at the forefront of the global push to help eSports become a fully-fledged member of the Olympic movement.

The inaugural Olympic eSports Week (OES) in June sparked further debate about whether the genre deserves a place alongside traditional sports at the Olympic Games.

Supporters argue that achieving the skills needed to master eSports require the same level of discipline conventional athletes must possess to reach the top in their chosen sport.

However, opponents claim that video gaming in any form is not a sport and fails to adhere to the physicality usually associated with the Olympics.

Despite this, Australia is supporting eSports’ bid to gain full Olympic recognition.

Australian Cyclists Showcase Their Talent on the eSports Stage

The cycling tournament at the recent OES event in Singapore attracted plenty of interest among Australian sports fans, with the nation represented by two familiar faces. 

Ben Hill and Vicki Whitelaw both previously competed at world level in traditional cycling, before switching their attention to eSports.

The pair took in the OES cycling competition alongside 14 other riders in an event which also garnered plenty of interest in the online gambling industry.

Several eSports betting sites offered odds throughout the event, highlighting the growing popularity of the genre among sports bettors.

The competition was staged over six different races in Zwift’s Scotland world, which was a nod to the UCI World Championships held in Glasgow during August.

Competitors participated in men’s and women’s elimination races, sprint races and climb races, with points awarded based on their performances and finishing positions.

Team Fuego comprising Lou Bates, Marlene Bjarehed, James Barnes and Martin Maertens emerged victorious, but they were pushed all the way by Team Epic.

Hill produced a strong performance to win the men's elimination and sprint races, but his efforts were not quite enough to guide Team Epic to an overall victory.

Whitelaw also showed up well in her respective races and hopes the event demonstrated that eSports deserves full Olympic recognition.

"Never in my wildest dreams would I put myself here, competing at an Olympic level at a global international event in a very different discipline of cycling," Whitelaw said.

"I retired from road cycling 11 years ago - I keep looking around at this arena, and it's amazing. It's very surreal.

“How does it feel? What an experience. What then does this mean for the future? I can only imagine."

Paralympian Calls for IOC to Fully Embrace eSports

While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were eager to claim the OES was a big success, many people in the eSports community were less enamoured.

One of the biggest criticisms of the IOC was their decision to omit popular eSports titles such as League of Legends and Dota 2 in favour of ‘virtual sports’.

The IOC has focused its efforts on this element of eSports as it believes these align more closely with the overall ethos of the Olympic movement.

The violent nature of some games is the primary reason for their exclusion by the IOC, which is a strange move given they allow combat sports to feature at the Olympics.

Australian Paralympian Rowan Crothers believes the IOC is a missing a trick by excluding titles which boast massive global followings.

Crothers was an eSport player in Valorant before switching his attention to swimming, where he won two gold medals and a silver at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.

He made an impassioned plea to the IOC on social media to reconsider its stance to ensure the diverse nature of eSports is truly represented in the Olympics.

"I’m a Paralympic champion and the fastest swimmer with disability in the world," Crothers said. "But I’ll never be good enough to be an Olympic swimmer. 

"In eSports, I can compete at the highest level, with and against able-bodied players. But this isn’t eSports. This is virtual traditional sport.

"I can’t balance on a Zwift bike. I can’t coordinate my body to dance. I definitely couldn’t compete at a top level.

“But I can use a keyboard, mouse, and microphone. I can compete in CS:GO and Valorant. So, I did. And I was one of the best players in my region.”

Motorsports Australia Boosts eSports’ Bid for Olympic Inclusion

Motorsports Australia has thrown its weight behind the push for eSports to be given full Olympic status by entering a team in the upcoming Asia Pacific Motorsport Championship.

Competitors across several different motorsports categories will be chosen to represent their nation in Malaysia at the inaugural edition of the event.

This includes eSports, which will see two of Australia’s top exponents in the motorsports category compete in the championship event.

The competition is expected to garner significant interest globally, which will boost the eSports sector’s chances of persuading the IOC to award it full Olympic status.

Motorsport Australia Director of Motorsport & Commercial Operations Michael Smith believes the championship is a great opportunity for eSports athletes to showcase their talents internationally.

 “We’re pleased to see more international events being offered through the FIA for our grassroots competitors and those eager to showcase their skills against the best-of-the-best from our region,” Smith said.

“Any opportunity to compete at world class venue like Sepang International Circuit is also one that many competitors will be eager to experience.

“Esports is also rapidly growing here in Australia and this is yet another opportunity for those talented competitors to develop their skills and represent their country in an internationally recognised competition.

“With the biennial FIA Motorsport Games not being held this year, this is also a great opportunity for competitors to put their hand up and showcase their skills for potential opportunities when those Games return in 2024 and we consider the make-up of Team Australia for that event next year.”