The battle to be crowned the first-ever winners of the Olympic Esports Series in Singapore is officially underway, with invited professional and amateur players from around the world taking part in qualification rounds across the featured games from today. With the games confirmed, Singapore will have a front row seat to the making of sporting history as host of the inaugural Olympic Esports Week from 22 to 25 June 2023. The in-person live finals of the Olympic Esports Series 2023, to be held at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, will be one of the highlights at the Olympic Esports Week 2023.

The Steering Committee and Local Organising Committee for the Olympic Esports Week 2023 were also unveiled today. Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong and Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) President Tan Chuan-Jin will serve as advisors to the Steering Committee.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice-President Ng Ser Miang and Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth & Trade and Industry Alvin Tan are co-chairs of the Olympic Esports Week 2023 Steering Committee. The Local Organising Committee will be jointly led by Mark Chay, a two-time Olympian and former national swimmer, and Roy Teo, Chief of Industry Development, Technology & Innovation Group of Sport Singapore (SportSG).

Both committees are supported by the relevant government agencies, sport bodies, and private sector partners.

“Hosting the inaugural Olympic Esports Week is truly an exciting milestone to be celebrated. Singapore hosted the first edition of the Youth Olympic Games in 2010 and we’re looking forward to continue building a strong Olympic legacy with Olympic Esports Week 2023. Technology and innovation have increasingly been incorporated in our sporting initiatives and events to create more opportunities for people to get moving and stay active regardless of their age, gender and ability. Active virtual sport is a key factor that can further propel these goals, and we look forward to delivering activities and programmes for everyone to enjoy,” said Roy Teo, Co-chair of the Local Organising Committee for Olympic Esports Week 2023.

Mark Chay, Co-chair of the Local Organising Committee for Olympic Esports Week 2023 also echoes similar sentiments and aspirations for the event. He said: “Singapore has successfully staged many major sporting and virtual sport events over the years. The Olympic Esports Week 2023 will be a display of the best of both, as those attending will get to watch and enjoy the benefits of combining physical and virtual sport. Hosting the Olympic Esports Week 2023 is a boost to our local esports ecosystem and strengthens Singapore’s status as the ideal destination for virtual sports.”

The Olympic Esports Series is a global virtual and simulated sports competition created by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in collaboration with International Federations and game publishers. In Singapore, players will compete in front of fans for the prestigious title of Olympic Esports Series winner. The thrilling finals action will be streamed across Olympics.com and Olympic social channels. The featured games revealed so far span nine sports:

1. Archery (World Archery Federation, Tic Tac Bow),
2. Baseball (World Baseball Softball Confederation, WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS),
3. Chess (International Chess Federation, Chess.com),
4. Cycling (UCI, Zwift),
5. Dance (World DanceSports Federation, JustDance)
6. Sailing (World Sailing, Virtual Regatta),
7. Tennis (International Tennis Federation, Tennis Clash),
8. Taekwondo (World Taekwondo, Virtual Taekwondo)
9. Motorsport (Federation Internationale Automobile, Gran Turismo)

National Sports Associations in Singapore welcomed the arrival of the Olympic Esports Week 2023. Singapore Taekwondo Federation president Tan Cheng Han said: “Singapore Taekwondo Federation is delighted and privileged to showcase e-taekwondo at the inaugural Olympic Esports Week. The combination of taekwondo and gaming while leveraging on cutting edge technology enables the athletes to use their body as a game controller to perform one-to-one non-contact sparring with each other. These exciting features present the possibilities of athletes competing across gender as well as age groups while retaining the athleticism and excitement of the sport. Through e-taekwondo, we hope to further the reach of taekwondo through innovative and fun experiences for athletes and the sports community.”

Singapore Cycling Federation vice-president (Cycling Esports) Chin See Wai added: “The Singapore Cycling Federation is honoured and keenly looking forward to participating in the inaugural Olympic Esports Week (OEW). It is hoped that this event will be a regular feature on the international sporting calendar to complement the UCI Cycling Esports World Championship and, catalyse the growth of mainstream and online competitive cycling both locally and internationally.”

The Olympic Esports Series 2023 marks another step in supporting the development of virtual sports within the Olympic Movement, as laid out in Olympic Agenda 2020+5, and continues its collaboration with the gaming and esports communities to create new opportunities for players and fans alike.

In addition to the live finals of the Olympic Esports Series, the Olympic Esports Week 2023 will also feature technology exhibitions, show matches and expert panel discussions. More information is available at Olympics.com.