Esports will be at the 2022 Asian Games -- one step away from the Olympics
The Olympic Council of Asia announced Monday night that esports will be an official medal sport at the 2022 Asian Games in China, which means esports are one step closer to being featured in the Olympic Games.
The Asian Games are essentially the Asian version of the Olympic Games and are officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). They run every four years and bring together the top athletes across 45 different Asian countries to compete in a variety competitions. The Asian Games in 2022 will be the first time esports competitors can receive medals at an officially recognized Olympic event.
Esports' inclusion in the 2022 Asian Games was ushered in by a partnership with Alisports, the sports division of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.
Esports will also be featured in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia as a demonstration sport (AKA no medals) and the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in September.
The specific video games that will be a part of the next two Asian Games have not been announced, however the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games will feature Fifa 2017, MOBA games (like League of Legends or Dota 2), and "real-time action" games (like StarCraft or Civilization).
If the Olympic Council of Asia is willing to give esports a shot, the IOC might give them a shot too.
This is a pretty big deal for esports and ups their chance of making it into the Olympic Games one day.
Outside of the worldwide Summer and Winter Olympic Games, the Asian Games are one of the biggest Olympic events in the world. The Olympic Council of Asia that runs the Asian Games is one of five continental organizations recognized by the IOC, and the IOC basically decides which events make it to the Olympic Games.
Five different individuals from the five continental Olympic organizations make up the IOC executive board's vice presidents. One of them, Yu Zaiqin from China, is also a vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia.
If the Olympic Council of Asia is willing to give esports a shot, the IOC might give them a shot, too -- especially if the two organizations share a vice president.
To become an Olympic sport, esports need to have an international governing body. That's what the International Esports Federation (IESF) is. If the IESF's application to be recognized as a sport is accepted by the IOC, then esports can be considered for the Olympic Games.
