Esports Players and Industry Figures Attend International Olympic Committee’s Esports Forum
Various members of the esports industry are attending an “esports forum” hosted by the International Olympic Committee.
Representatives from both esports and traditional sports will gather at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, to discuss the rise of esports and its relationship to sports and, in particular, the Olympics.
The forum aims to “explore synergies, build joint understanding and set a platform for future engagement between the esports and gaming industries and the Olympic Movement”.
Attendees include players from a variety of esports titles, owners of esports organizations – both the endemic, such as G2 Esports’ Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodriguez and those that came to the industry from traditional sports, such as Echo Fox’s Rick Fox – and representatives of major platforms and developers like Twitch, Blizzard, and Riot Games.
The forum looks to discuss a variety of esports topics, from best practices for organizations to media and broadcasting. Roundtable discussions will also look at esports from the perspective of investors and players, the latter involving a variety of Olympic athletes and esports players discussing their views on “what defines an athlete, the training routines of traditional athletes and esports players, what challenges athletes and players face, how they view health and wellness, and more.”
The forum is taking place on Saturday July 21, and will be streamed on the IOC Media YouTube channel. A full schedule of events and the people involved in each panel or discussion can be found here.