The first-ever Olympic Esports Week will be held in Singapore in June this year. This comes following a partnership between the Singapore National Olympic Committee (SNOC), the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and Sport Singapore.
The four-day festival will showcase the best of virtual sports, exhibit the latest technologies and innovations in the field of simulated sports, and present opportunities for participants to try their hand at selected virtual sports titles. Other activities during OEW 2023 include panel discussions with industry stakeholders, forums and exhibition matches.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has now added Fortnite to the Olympic Esports Finals lineup, marking a new chapter in the esports world.
The event will showcase the first in-person finals of the 2023 competition series, centred around nine games that closely resemble real-world sports run by international federations. The esports series includes Just Dance, Gran Turismo racing, Zwift cycling, and Web chess.
The addition of a Fortnite island is consistent with the Committee’s esports goals, as it represents a peaceful competition with a physical equivalent. Although digital Olympics featuring Counter-Strike 2 or League of Legends are not yet on the horizon, Fortnite’s popularity as an esports series game will likely attract audiences who might otherwise not be interested in conventional esports tournaments.
