The inaugural Olympic Virtual Series (OVS) has just been revealed, as the first-ever, Olympic-licensed event for physical and non-physical virtual sports.
The new Series, which will start on the 13th of May, and continue until the 23rd of June, 2021, aims to mobilise virtual sport, esports, and gaming enthusiasts all around the world in order to reach new Olympic audiences.
The mass-participation Series allows participants around the world to compete from home or their training facilities in order to generate excitement in the build-up to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
By building this bridge between virtual sports and traditional sports, the IOC is aiming to expand its activities to engage fans, the virtual sports community, players, and partners.
The IOC will partner with five International Sports Federations and game publishers to produce the OVS:
- World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) — eBaseball Powerful Pro Baseball 2020, Konami
- Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) — Zwift, Zwift Inc.
- World Rowing — Open format
- World Sailing — Virtual Regatta, Virtual Regatta SAS
- Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) — Gran Turismo, Polyphony Digital
