British Esports to speak at International Olympic Committee Esports Forum

British Esports Association founder Chester King will be speaking at an Esports Forum at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 21st.

It’s being hosted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) and is designed to explore synergies, build joint understanding and set a platform for future engagement between the esports and gaming industries and the Olympic Movement.

Other invited participants will include representatives from across the esports and gaming ecosystem: players, publishers, teams, media, sponsors and event organisers, and from across the Olympic Movement: National Olympic Committees, International Sports Federations, athletes and the IOC.

There will be the possibility of watching some of the Esports Forum sessions live on the IOC Media YouTube Channel.

Forum programme highlights include a panel on the world of esports, an interview by an esports player with an IOC rep, an interview on the key to Twitch’s success, a spotlight on Intel Extreme Masters Pyeongchang, a day in the life of a pro player, gender equality in all sports and several roundtable discussions.

It will also look at what defines an athlete and the challenges faced by each type of athlete, as well as governance and best practices, the shifting media/broadcasting landscape and explore investment in esports and gaming.

GAISF President Patrick Baumann said: “Along with the IOC, the GAISF looks forward to welcoming the esports and gaming community to Lausanne. We understand that sport never stands still and the phenomenal growth of esports and gaming is part of its continuing evolution.

“The Esports Forum provides an important and extremely valuable opportunity for us to gain a deeper understanding of esports, their impact and likely future development, so that we can jointly consider the ways in which we may collaborate to the mutual benefit of all of sport in the years ahead.”

IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell added: “We are pleased to be hosting our first Esports Forum, which is a great opportunity for both the Olympic Movement and representatives from the world of esports and gaming to begin a discussion, listen and learn from each other, and understand the potential opportunities for collaboration. The IOC and GAISF are closely following the rapid development of esports globally, and we look forward to a really engaging discussion.”

The Forum follows the Olympic Summit held in October 2017, which asked the IOC, together with the GAISF, to explore this area in a dialogue with the gaming industry and players and to come back to the Olympic Movement stakeholders in due course.