Mentioned in this article Games: Overwatch

The IOC and GAISF will host an esports forum in July to discuss the potential of esports opportunities for the Olympic Movement.

Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent and Blizzard Entertainment president Mike Morhaime will be among the attendees.

Last year the Olympic Summit charged the IOC and GAISF with engaging in a dialogue with the gaming industry about esports.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) have teamed up to host an esports forum on July 21, 2018 at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. The goal of the forum will be to educate IOC and GAISF members about the esports industry and to explore esports engagement opportunities for the Olympic Movement, the collection of organizations led by the IOC which organizes the Olympic Games.

The list of esports representatives attending the forum will include, according to SportsBusiness Journal:

John Bonini, VP/GM of esports and gaming at Intel

Nicolo Laurent, CEO of Riot Games

Jarred Kennedy, co-head of esports at Riot Games

Jens Hilgers, founding partner of BITKRAFT Esports Ventures

Mike Morhaime, president and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment

Nate Nanzer, Overwatch League commissioner

Todd Pawlowski, senior VP of live experiences Blizzard Entertainment

Justin Dellario, head of esports at Twitch

IOC sports director Kit McConnell said:

“We are pleased to be hosting our first ‘Esports Forum’, which is a great opportunity for both the Olympic Movement and representatives from the world of esports and gaming to begin a discussion, listen and learn from each other, and understand the potential opportunities for collaboration. The IOC and GAISF are closely following the rapid development of esports globally, and we look forward to a really engaging discussion.”

Related Article: Can South Korea’s Asian Games Dream Team Inspire an Olympic Movement?

The IOC and the esports industry have been circling each other for some time, exploring the potential of esports events at the Olympics. At the 2017 Olympic Summit, participants charged the IOC and GAISF with engaging in a dialogue with the gaming industry and report back to Olympic Movement stakeholders. In February of this year, the IOC partnered with Intel and ESL to host at Intel Extreme Masters Starcraft II event ahead of the Olympic Winter Games PyeonChang 2018.

While the IOC continues its methodical approach, the Olympic Council of Asia has already added esports to its events. The 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia will feature multiple esports titles. Esports have already been confirmed for the 2022 Asian,Games as well.