05 June 2025 – Leaders from across the Olympic Movement and the global community of game publishers and developers gathered in Lausanne this week to help shape the future of Olympic esports.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) hosted the Olympic Esports Games Publishers and Developers Forum, with the ambition of creating a platform for sports and gaming experts to share their knowledge and experience across both worlds, and foster deeper collaboration between the communities, as part of the road to the first Olympic Esports Games in 2027.
IOC President Thomas Bach and President-elect Kirsty Coventry welcomed guests to the Olympic Museum – where the Olympic esports journey began back in 2018 with the first Olympic Esports Forum.
Your presence here today — whether this is your first direct engagement with the Olympic Movement or a continuation of an earlier collaboration — reflects a shared commitment to build something new and meaningful, something with the power to inspire a new generation. Thomas Bach, IOC President
More than 120 guests from across five continents, representing International Sports Federations (IFs), Continental Associations of National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and game publishers and developers, convened in the Olympic Capital for a programme of presentations, panel discussions and opportunities for open dialogue.
The programme included presentations from the IOC aimed at showcasing the breadth of the Olympic Movement and what makes the Olympic Games so special and unique, including their digital ecosystem, broadcasting reach and the Worldwide Olympic Partner programme.
The IOC shared its vision for the first Olympic Esports Games – set to be hosted with the NOC of Saudi Arabia – as a continuation of the collaboration that has always been integral to the Olympic esports journey.
The Olympic Esports Games can be a game-changer for all of us: a new platform bringing together the best of both of our two worlds. For the Olympic Movement, this means connecting with new communities in ways that are authentic, inclusive, and future-focused. For the esports ecosystem, it is a unique opportunity to connect with communities that are new for you, to scale up, to stand out and to shape your future on a truly global stage. Thomas Bach, IOC President
As well as through open dialogue, guests were invited to contribute to the ongoing discussions in the planning and development of the first Olympic Esports Games, through a series of panel events. These sessions were also designed to explore the evolving intersection of sport and esports, shared opportunities, challenges and aspirations in this dynamic space.
RESPECT – CELEBRATING ESPORTS DIVERSITY
Much like the global sporting world, elite gaming is a diverse landscape, with a huge variety of game genres and titles, played by and appealing to different audiences. This session explored how game publishers, platforms and sports bodies are shaping this competitive landscape, and what it takes to build sustainable, culturally relevant esports ecosystems across genres, including platform trends, talent pathways and community building.
FRIENDSHIP – GROWING SPORTS THROUGH GAMING
A key objective of Olympic esports is to support the development of virtual sports within the Olympic Movement, leading to the promotion of relationships between IFs and game publishers. This session bought the two together to discuss topics such as shared strengths, fair play and integrity, audience alignment and credibility, and how to achieve balanced collaboration.
Esports can help grow sport — just as sport can bring structure, values and inspiration into games. In 2021, the IOC collaborated with five International Federations on the Olympic Virtual Series. By 2023, this number more than doubled with the Olympic Esports Series. Today, as we prepare for the inaugural Olympic Esports Games, we are thrilled that over half of the 73 International Federations have expressed interest in expanding their esports strategies, many submitting strong proposals for inclusion in the Games. Ser Miang Ng, IOC Member and Olympic Esports Games Steering Committee Chair
INCLUSION – WELCOMING EVERYONE
Diversity, inclusion and universality are at the heart of the Olympic Movement. This session explored these topics, from how esports and gaming can break down barriers to entry in traditional sports to how to build inclusive, accessible pathways in all levels of competitive gaming, and opportunities to support gender equality in esports.
President Bach noted, “The Olympic Games Paris 2024 were the first Olympic Games in history with full gender parity, setting a global standard when it comes to empowering women in and through sport. By partnering with the Olympic Movement, the esports community can benefit from this achievement and take a powerful step forward: attracting new audiences, and creating even more appeal for sponsors, partners, and media by greatly expanding your reach.”
INNOVATION – LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY FOR THE FUTURE OF SPORTS
Innovation continues to shape sports and esports, with virtual reality, AI and data analytics rapidly evolving the landscape, from training to online safety and how fans experience competition. This session explored these topics, plus the development of virtual sports, shared technology and fan engagement.
COMMUNITY – IGNITING LOCAL DEVELOPMENT
The Olympic Movement brings a unique asset: a global network of 206 NOCs, each deeply rooted in local communities. This ready-made ecosystem creates new opportunities for esports to grow at every level, supporting talent, building infrastructure and engaging new players and fans everywhere. With the ambition of the NOCs joining the Olympic Esports Games, this session looked at the opportunities this could bring to supporting regional esports growth, from community outreach to infrastructure, talent development and values-based-programming.
EXCELLENCE – STRIVING TO BE THE BEST
Traditional sports and esports performance excellence share the same core values: hard work, discipline and commitment. Sarah Walker, an Olympic silver medallist in BMX and gamer, talked about the synergies between performance in both worlds, how they can learn from each other, and the opportunities to support the next generation of high performers.
If a gamer is going to the gym, they’ve got a nutritionist, they’ve got a sports psychologist, they’re doing everything that I did as an athlete. Their application is gaming, mine was riding a bike. Sarah Walker, Olympic silver medallist in BMX and gamer
Following the presentation and panel discussions, IOC President-elect Kirsty Coventry opened the floor, creating a further opportunity for the experts in the room to share their deep knowledge and insights on topics at the intersection of sport and esports. This included the shared challenges faced by the people at the heart of both communities, athletes and players, such as mental health and what can be done to protect them from harassment in the digital age.
There will be bumps in the road ahead, which we will need to navigate together, but at the end of the day what is most important is the athletes and players. How we are going to inspire the next generation, to really live out their dreams – whether that be through sport or gaming – if this remains at the core of what we are doing here, I am confident we will succeed together. Kristy Coventry, IOC President-elect
The President-elect concluded the Forum, reflecting on the exciting opportunities, challenges and vital importance of continuing to build bridges that lie ahead:
“What I have heard today, is that we share a lot of the same values. These are bridges between different communities, between different ways of thinking, between tradition and innovation. And we need more of them. We need more spaces where the Olympic Movement and gaming and esports stakeholders can co-create, test ideas, and find common ground. Because that is how trust is built — and that is how progress happens.
With everything we have learned so far — from the Olympic Virtual Series to Olympic Esports Week, to this Forum — we have laid a solid foundation. Now we are ready to build something new, something bold and lasting, together. So, let us bring the full creativity and passion of both communities together to make the Olympic Esports Games a resounding success. And let us show what is possible when we build something bold — together. Kristy Coventry, IOC President-elect
The IOC, with the NOC of Saudi Arabia, founding partner of the Esports World Cup Federation, will now take all the insights, learnings, opportunities and challenges shared during the Forum into planning for the first Olympic Esports Games.
