By Jean Baptiste Guillot, Partner and Virginie Molho, Counsel
IN JUNE 2023, SINGAPORE WILL HOST THE FIRST OLYMPIC ESPORT WEEK
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today confirmed that the first Olympic Esport Week will be held in Singapore from 22 to 25 June 2023. This announcement marks another important step in supporting the development of virtual sports within the Olympic Movement. Note that the IOC and the Olympic Movement have committed in Recommendation 9* of the Olympic Agenda 2020+5 (the roadmap to guide the IOC and the Olympic Movement until 2025) to encourage the development of virtual sports and further engage with video gaming communities.
In partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Sport Singapore and the Singapore National Olympic Committee (SCNO), Olympic Esports Week will showcase the best of virtual sports - sports simulations with or without a physical dimension - with its four-day festival featuring the latest technology showcases, panel discussions and information sessions, as well as demonstration matches.
Building on the success of the 2021 Olympic Virtual Series, the Olympic week will conclude with the live finals of the Olympic Esports Series, a global virtual sports and simulation competition created in collaboration with International Federations (IFs). Note that the International Olympic Committee, together with five International Sports Federations and video game publishers, produced the first ever Olympic Virtual Series in 2021, the first ever Olympic licensed event for physical and non-physical virtual sports, which attracted 250,000 participants and represented over 100 countries from around the world from 13 May to 23 June 2021.
We will be following this Olympic esport week with interest.
*Recommendation 9 of the Olympic Agenda 2020+5: Encourage the development of virtual sports and further engage with video gaming communities
Leverage the growing popularity of virtual sport to promote the Olympic Movement, Olympic values, sports participation and grow direct relations with youth
- Strengthen the roles and responsibilities of IFs in establishing virtual and simulated forms of sports as a discipline within their regulations and strategies
- Launch unique Olympic products and experiences through virtual and simulated forms of sports, in support of the IOC’s digital engagement strategy
- Consider the addition of physical virtual sports in the Olympic Programme in cooperation with the respective IFs
- Support local partnerships between sport and video gaming communities to encourage youth to engage in physical activity and with the Olympic Movement
- Make available Olympic athlete-related online programmes and digital tools to the competitive video gaming community to support their physical and mental wellbeing
Jean-Baptiste Guillot
Partner
Jean-Baptiste Guillot handles mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, commercial law, company law and contract law matters, with a particular focus on international transactions for Canadian, British and French companies.
Virginie molho
Counsel
Virginie has acquired a solid expertise in sports law allowing her to support players in the sports industry in all types of legal issues in commercial law, company law, association law and social law applied to sport.
