Britain Backs Esports Olympics
The government has backed an international committee to establish the eGames, an Olympic-style competition pitting countries against each other.
The inaugural games will be held in Rio de Janeiro, alongside the 2016 Olympics, with future games planned to be held during Olympic years in host cities.
The first pop-up event in Rio will feature four eTeams from Brazil, Great Britain, Canada and the USA, but its hoped future events will have a global representation.
Teams of players–who must be over 18 and can be male or female–will compete for podium places and awarded gold, silver and bronze medals, with no prize money.
The competition will be overseen by the newly-established International eGames Committee (IEGC), a non-profit “set up with the aim of positively shaping the future of competitive gaming”. This body, supported by the British government and private partners, will announce advisory boards for each partner country.
The committee will also endeavour to hold the games outside of “traditional gaming times” to avoid conflicts with major tournaments.
The membership of the Brtiain’s division is to be confirmed on 1st May, but will consist of “a mixture of key esports, sports and media industry individuals and representation from UKIE and Pinewood.”
The article originally appeared here.
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