By V. E. K. Madhushani, Jadetimes News
CEO of G2 Esports Discusses the Integration of Gaming into the Olympic Framework and Its Impact on Gender Parity.
The Olympic Esports Games are set to elevate gaming to the same status as the Winter and Summer Olympics, according to the CEO of one of the world's leading esports teams. This announcement follows the International Olympics Committee's (IOC) decision to enter a 12 year partnership with Saudi Arabia to host the standalone event.
Recently, Saudi Arabia hosted the Esports World Cup, despite some fans, players, and commentators boycotting the event in protest of the country's human rights record. Alban Dechelotte, CEO of G2 Esports, shared with Newsbeat that the Olympic Esports Games aim for equal participation of male and female gamers.
Dechelotte was approached to advise the IOC as part of its strategy to attract younger audiences. He sees this as a significant opportunity for competitive gaming to reach new demographics. "For 20 years, esports and gaming have been growing," he says. "It's clear it's not just a trend. We have years of seeing millions of people watching the biggest finals. There's less fear and more excitement for the potential."
Dechelotte identifies a turning point at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, which featured esports events alongside traditional sports. "People from the Olympic Committee attended and were like, 'OK, now we get it'," he says. Despite the experiment's success, the Commonwealth Games Federation announced that esports would not feature at the 2026 games in Australia, opting instead to consider a standalone event.
Dechelotte supports this decision, noting that including esports in existing games could be logistically challenging for any host city. "It gives more space for a celebration of gaming and esports instead of being one of the additional sports," he says.
While the specific games to be included in the Olympic Esports Games are yet to be determined, Rocket League, League of Legends, EA FC, and Street Fighter were featured in the Asia and Commonwealth Games. Dechelotte expresses doubts about the inclusion of first person shooters such as Call of Duty and Counter Strike 2 in the near future, due to their alignment with the values the Olympic Committee aims to project.
A significant aspect of the Olympic Esports Games will be players competing under their national flags, which Dechelotte finds particularly exciting. "Everybody wants to see what a Danish team will do against a Korean team," he says. This format also opens the possibility of superstar players from rival teams joining forces to represent their national sides.
At the 2022 Asia Games, League of Legends icon Lee Sang hyeok, aka Faker, joined the South Korean squad alongside Gen.G member Jung Ji hoon, aka Chovy. The Esports World Cup organisers have defended hosting the event in Saudi Arabia, despite criticism over the country's stance on LGBT relationships and women's rights.
Dechelotte acknowledges the criticism but shares his positive experiences in Saudi Arabia, where several high profile esports events have been staged. He also reports assurances from Saudi officials that the competition will be open to all, regardless of gender or sexuality.
Despite these assurances, the Esports World Cup faced criticism for a lack of female representation, with only one of 22 events specifically for women. Dechelotte admits the esports industry has "failed" female players, who are under represented at the top level. "Talented and gifted players are there, but we don't give them enough chances to perform at the highest level and we don't give them enough paths to become pros," he says.
He promises that the Olympic Esports Games will be different, with a goal of equal participation from the inaugural event next year. "There's a commitment to aim for full parity. And that would be a game changer, not just for the Olympics, but for esports too," he says.
