First Olympic online gaming event held ahead of Tokyo Games

Mayu Yoshida

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A view of virtual baseball. /Mayu Yoshida

E-sports, or competitive video gaming, may be inching closer to becoming an official Olympic sport after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) hosted its first online gaming event ahead of the Tokyo Games in a bid to reach out to new and younger audiences.

Hundreds of thousands of participants from over 100 countries and regions took part in the Olympic Virtual Series (OVS), which featured five virtual sports – baseball, auto racing, cycling, rowing, and sailing.

The event was held between May 13 and June 23, exactly a month before the Summer Games kick off on July 23. OVS isn't a medaled event, but it's the first IOC-licensed Olympic e-sports competition.

E-sports is a billion-dollar industry with a rapidly growing audience expected to reach over $500 million by 2024, according to Newzoo. Strict lockdown measures across the world have also boosted the popularity of video games, with worldwide console sales reaching a record $56 billion in 2020.

Olympic Virtual Series Baseball Tournament. /Mayu Yoshida

In the past, the IOC criticized many games as too violent and not in line with its values. Now, the IOC is collaborating with global sports federations and game publishers to tap into younger markets and as traditional TV viewers grow older.

"Whether they could one day be considered for the Olympic program the answer is yes," IOC President Thomas Bach told a news conference in early 2020. "It depends when this day is coming."

At OVS, unlike the traditional Games, players don't necessarily represent their countries.

E-sports player Taku. /Mayu Yoshida

Taku is a Japanese virtual baseball player. He came in second place at Konami Holdings Corporation's Powerful Pro Baseball 2020 by representing Team Australia.

"Unless you're a professional athlete, it's impossible to have any connection with the Olympics itself so I'm flattered. I think a younger audience will increase once video games are involved," he said.

For sporting federations, virtual games are a way to attract new fans. The World Baseball Softball Confederation is hoping e-sport games will expand its fan base as it makes a push for the physical games' ​Olympic comeback in 2028 in Los Angeles. Baseball and softball were added to Tokyo 2020 but dropped from Paris 2024.