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FILE: Esports first got widespread media coverage during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. —JAM STA. ROSE
ESports has been named as a full medal event for the 2022 Asian Games in a big step into the mainstream of a sport that has long hosted Olympic ambitions.
E-sports and breakdancing were included on the program for the Games in Hangzhou, China, at the general assembly of the Asian Olympic Council in Muscat this week.
“I hope that esports will add value to the Asian Games, and I am sure they will in the future, during the 2022 Asian Games and even beyond,” said OCA Asian Games Director Haider Farman, in a statement Friday.
ESports was a popular demo event at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, and a medal sport at last year’s Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines.
Efforts to include esports in the Olympics have so far failed, but the coronavirus pandemic appeared to trigger a change this year as organizers explored new ideas.
In April, the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, called for the movement to “urgently” investigate electronic versions of sports and to reach out to game publishers.
This month, breakdancing, skateboarding, surfing and sport climbing were approved for the Paris 2024 Olympics as the Games strive to attract a younger audience.
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