With some 120 competitors from 25 countriesthe eSports will be released starting Thursday in about Panamerican Games with a parallel competition that will not count in the medal table of Santiago 2023.
The thriving virtual sports competitions, which are already in the crosshairs of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)will take place in their own tent installed in the sports park around the National Stadium.
The “gamers” wear the clothing of their national delegations and coexist from the beginning of the competition with the rest of the athletes in the Pan American Village in the Chilean capital.
The president of Panama Sports, Neven Ilicwelcomed them on Wednesday in a brief opening ceremony of the eSportswhich will be divided into the competencies of eFootball 2024the football simulator that succeeded the popular Pro Evolution Soccerand the action video game dota 2.
“At some point in our lives someone convinced us that sports and electronic sports were not the same family”said Ilic in your message. “What we have wanted to achieve is for all of you to feel part of your countries and delegations and to be able to compete within the framework of the Pan American Games”he added.
“It is a relationship that I hope continues to grow because it is something that builds a better world, a better sport and a better Olympics”said Ilic to the participants, who will be able to parade on Sunday at the closing ceremony of the Games.
Officially recognized as a sporting activity by the IOC in 2017the Olympic bodies are evaluating scenarios for the integration of the eSports given the enormous interest they arouse in young people worldwide.
In mid-October the president of the IOC, Thomas Bachannounced that they are exploring the possibility of creating some Olympic Games of eSports.
The head of Olympicism pointed out that some 3 billion of people play video games around the world, of which more than 500 million are interested in the eSportsthe majority under 34 years of age.
“There has been a lot of progress”said about this process Paul J. Fosterexecutive director of Global Esports Federation (GEF)which participates in the organization of the competition.
“Thinking about how far we have come is very exciting but those decisions depend on the IOC”he pointed out Foster to the press. “But it is very exciting that traditional sport also thinks about digital and young people and how we can bring our community closer to sport”he added.
About his debut in the Pan American, Foster was pleased with the number of countries that will participate despite some notable absences such as USA and Canada.
“We are very proud that more than half of the 41 countries are there” competitors in the Gamessaid Foster. “We certainly hope to have the United States and Canada as members” in the future.
Before this Pan-American experience, the eSports They were already present in the 2022 Commonwealth Games and in the European Games of Poland this year.
Source: Ambito
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