Olympic Esports Series: History and Background

The Olympic Esports Series was an Olympic Games-style esports event featuring multiple different virtual sports and video games coming together in a single location similar to a multi-sport event, run by the International Olympic Committee.

While esports and competitive video gaming have traditionally not been considered a sport, the Olympic Movement began taking an interest as early as 2007, when esports was included at the 2007 Asian Indoor Games. In 2017, an Olympic Summit was held focused on the International Olympic Committee and esports. After an online-only Olympic Virtual Series was held during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the IOC eventually announced the creation of the Olympic Esports Series, as part of the Olympic Esports Week in November 2022. The inaugural edition was held in Singapore in June 2023, with a second edition planned for 2024, which did not take place.

The events at the Olympic Esports Series had a connection with traditional Olympic sports, as the video game titles selected were chosen by international federations. It featured a mix of both physical sport taking place in a virtual world, such as in Zwift, as well as sports-based video games such as Gran Turismo. The lack of traditional esports titles at the Olympic Esports Series, and the inclusion of lesser-known games representing traditional Olympic sports, was subject of criticism.

Unlike at the regular Olympic Games, medals and diplomas were not awarded at the Olympic Esports Series. The top three in each event were awarded gold, silver, and bronze-coloured trophies instead.

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