So what's the IOC going to do about esports?
The esports forum hosted last week by the IOC was an interesting move. And this nice article by Eoin Connolly (http://www.sportspromedia.com/opinion/esports-olympics-ioc-forum-fortnite-insight-feature) got me thinking about the real intentions of the IOC on this and how it can/ can't work. It's clear that many have differing opinions on this, but here's some random musings from me on the subject:
a) The fact that they're doing it so publicly emphasises the pressure the IOC must be facing from partners to evolve and show how active they are at finding a way to make it work. Ultimately it's about the end goal every sport, sponsor and broadcaster is after. Making fans of the elusive younger generation to the Olympic Movement.
b) Running an 'elympics' in collaboration with the publishers as the third games (Summer Olympics, Winter Olympics and then esports), keeps each event and its principles clear-cut. Yet the IOC seems against the idea and more interested in blending the physical with the digital.
c) esports fans (the reason they're looking at it) probably don't care as much about a token integration with the Olympics. Olympics need esports fans more than the other way around and will have to do big things to attract them on mass.
d) Games publishers use esports as a marketing initiative first to sell games. So it will not be as easy as the IOC finds it with enforcing good governance with regular sports bodies (and they don't find it that easy now) as publishers have little interest to do so in esports' current ecosystem.
e) you can't just 'add esports' to the Olympics - there's so many different gaming titles, and so many that are violence based games that surely can't fit into the existing ethos. It feels difficult to see it done on a small scale. Though the Asian Games are testing this out now with a handful of titles: http://smartseries.sportspromedia.com/news/esports-to-be-official-medal-event-at-2022-asian-games
f) The Olympics motto of faster, higher, stronger was always linked with physical boundary pushing. esports is just so different I don't think it aligns with this as directly, although it certainly challenges other skills.
My summary - make a new major event product and brand in partnership with the publishers ( 'elympics' or alike). It's the only way not to alienate both sets of fans. By getting the publishers connected they'll have a vested interest in it to support. Each elympics there would likely be new games to include/ exclude - much bigger churn to align with the real world churn of esports titles- and only those that are the biggest would feature. The value of the marketing reach will be enough of an incentive (hopefully) for the best esports athletes to compete (since prizemoney would not likely be the primary drawcard for them). Build it with it's own motto and key values and make it the third major event of the Olympics Calendar. Make the Summer Olympics focus on it's key roots and stop trying to add 'younger' test sports in a incremental attempt attract the kids.
But that's just my thoughts. What do you think?
Director, Sports Vertical
7yGood article and very much agree with your approach. elympics would really be easier to integrate and implement in parallel or after Olympics. Additionally, it will bring legacy to the Olympic host cities to use the pavillions after the Games are over and justify the expenditure in infrastructures. The return from more people coming to the host city, specially young people, would be also very well perceived by the citizens.
Data Driven sales, marketing automation, channel and partnership growth (former CCO)
7yGreat Piece Nick!, I think IOC motives to get involved is more along the lines: they see the "threat", they recognise it and here is them doing something about it whilst the Olympics and the IOC still pull some clout and hold relevance. Thats also why I don't think Elympics or E-Olympics will be a thing they will entertain. They and the governing bodies that compromise their sports are institutions and highly political. They want to secure when two worlds collide in form of traditional physical sport and new sport with an E-sport boost in terms of AR and VR (its closer than most people in sports think or care to imagine), that they will not be stuck clutching at the former whilst the next generation supported by publishers and commercial companies runs away with the latter. Adding AR segments to sports such as Fencing and Archery is really close but we will probably also see it in more fundamental sports such as running and cycling. Innovation will probably be driven by commercial interests such as the fitness industry with Federations being quick to incorporate it inorder not to loose relevance.