The post ESIC & IOC collaborate to combat esports misconduct appeared first on Esport Bet.
]]>This partnership aims to exchange information, insights, and best practices to combat corruption and misconduct in esports.
The IOC’s Olympic Movement Unit for the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (OM Unit PMC) will play a key role in this initiative, helping to develop and implement strategies, initiatives, and programs to enhance integrity in esports.
ESIC will act as an advisory body, providing guidance and expertise to the IOC and OM Unit PMC.
Founded in 2016, ESIC is a non-profit organization focused on addressing integrity concerns in the esports industry, including prosecuting breaches such as match-fixing.
Recently, a new board featuring executives from Electronic Sports League (ESL) and BLAST was established to strengthen ethical practices through frameworks and benchmarks to tackle issues like cheating.
The IOC has increasingly invested in the esports space, establishing a new official commission last year that includes notable stakeholders from G2 Esports, Ubisoft, and Konami.
Additionally, the IOC announced plans to create an Olympic Esports Games following the Olympic Esports Series, which featured competitions in titles such as Gran Turismo, Zwift, and Just Dance.
Friedrich Martens, Head of the OM Unit PMC at the IOC, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating: “With numerous IFs organizing esports competitions and the IOC planning to organize relevant competitions as well, we need to ensure that we have all the information and intelligence available to make sure that these competitions are free of manipulations or related breaches.
“Therefore, we are very happy about this letter of collaboration formalizing the long-standing communication between ESIC and the OM Unit PMC, particularly as esports is a developing area.
“Thus, we count on the support of ESIC for safeguarding the integrity and credibility of the esports competitions of the Olympic Movement, specifically to also further understand relevant risks and develop all right measures to mitigate them.”
Stephen Hanna, CEO of ESIC, also shared his enthusiasm, stating: “This collaboration with the IOC and the OM Unit PMC denotes a significant milestone for the global esports industry and is a testament to the IOC’s engagement with the industry in the development of its esports strategy.
“We are looking forward to working with the IOC to support its ambitious esports initiatives.
“This collaboration further validates the critical nature of ESIC’s mission and provides the industry with further assurance that ESIC’s work is meeting the evolving challenges to competitive integrity in esports.”
ESIC has been diligent in its efforts to disrupt, prevent, investigate, and prosecute cheating and malpractice in esports.
In April 2024, ESIC launched the FairPlay Academy, a learning platform aimed at promoting fair play, ethics, and anti-corruption within esports and gaming.
The International Olympic Committee, renowned for organizing The Olympic Games, positions itself as the guardian of the Olympic Games and the leader of the Olympic Movement.
It fosters collaboration among Olympic nations, stakeholders, athletes, and more.
The OM Unit PMC is an internal IOC unit dedicated to supporting International Sports Federations (IFs), National Olympic Committees (NOCs), multi-sports event organizers, and other sports organizations in their efforts to protect the integrity of their sports and competitions.
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]]>The post IOC announces 2023 Olympic Esports Series finals appeared first on Esport Bet.
]]>The virtual and simulated sports competition created by the IOC will be run in collaboration with International Federations (IFs) and game publishers.
The nine sports that have been confirmed to feature are:
- Archery (World Archery Federation, Tic Tac Bow)
- Baseball (World Baseball Softball Confederation, WBSC eBASEBALL: POWER PROS)
- Chess (International Chess Federation, Chess.com)
- Cycling (UCI, Zwift)
- Dance (World DanceSport Federation, Just Dance)
- Motor sport (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, Gran Turismo)
- Sailing (World Sailing, Virtual Regatta)
- Taekwondo (World Taekwondo, Virtual Taekwondo)
- Tennis (International Tennis Federation, Tennis Clash)
With Olympic Esports Series 2023 only three months away, qualification for the finals will begin in the coming weeks, with both professional and amateur players from around the world invited to take part.
Coming together in Singapore for this unique competition, the players will compete in front of fans for the prestigious title of Olympic Esports Series winner.
All of the Olympics Esports Series finals action will be streamed globally on Olympics.com and all of the Olympics social channels.
The Chair of the IOC Esports Liaison Group, David Lappartient, spoke at the announcement about the Olympic Esports Series.
“The Olympic Movement brings people together in peaceful competition,” Lappartient said.
“The Olympic Esports Series 2023 is a continuation of that, with the ambition of creating more spaces to play for both players and fans of elite competition.
“We look forward to witnessing some of the world’s best compete on the global stage, as well as exploring together shared opportunities and lessons – across health and wellbeing, training and innovation.”
The IOC has also announced that the full programme and ticket details for Olympic Esports Week 2023 will be released in April.
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]]>The post Are the Olympic Games ready for esports events? appeared first on Esport Bet.
]]>As reported by numerous sources, the American multinational corporation and technology company Intel recently entered talks with the International Olympic committee in hopes of speeding up the process of esports finding their way into the Olympic Games.
The never-ending debate has split the community in two. Should esports be included in the Olympic Games? And does esports even have a place in the Olympic Movement?
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Not only has this question been asked numerous times before among friends and family, but on the global scale as well. While there are understandably people and companies which disagree, there are also several big corporations and companies that are trying to do their best to help esports become officially recognised as a real sport. And what better way to do so than bringing esports into one of the world’s leading international sporting events?
It is hard to ignore the incredible growth of the esports industry. Like it or not, the youth is our future and today’s gamers are the people who will dictate what will happen in 20-30 years’ time. To many people, perhaps even most people, the idea of including esports into the Olympics seems like the fever dream of a mad man. But the world is evolving and with it the thinking process of people, so it is time to acknowledge the change and adapt.
The IOC has shown some interest in including esports as a medal event in the Olympic Games. While an official decision is some ways off, there are several signs that suggest the committee’s thinking favours the side of progress.
Recent reports claim Intel wants to enter into an official partnership with the IOC, which would be a huge step for the esports community. However, IOC president Thomas Bach stated that if or when esports find their way into the Olympic Games, no violent games will be played, which will exclude industry-leading titles such as CS: GO, Dota 2, League of Legends and many more. Still, that statement shows the IOC has put some thought into the inclusion of esports in the Olympic Games.
There are a lot of arguments to be made in favour of esports being equal to traditional sports, but there are also plenty of points to be made against it. Rather than listing them all here, instead we can celebrate the cooperation between IOC and Intel and the possibilities it might open up for the future of esports.
While we look towards the greater goal of esports joining the Olympic Games, it is worth noting that esports have already appeared in a traditional sporting tournament. They were a featured discipline at the 2018 Asian Games, where countries competed in Clash Royale, Hearthstone, StarCraft II, PES 2018, Arena of Valor and League of Legends.
Considering how well pro gaming has been accepted in Asia, we might be closer than we think to seeing esports hit the mainstream.
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