Did you know an actual, sanctioned Olympic esports event is coming to Singapore in June? It’s true. Below, we’ve collected everything you need to know about the event, including which games the teams will play as they compete for actual Olympic gold. You might remember us writing about them earlier this year. With the event approaching in just a few weeks’ time, we thought now was a good time to dive into what Olympic Esports Finals actually are, what you can expect to see there, and how you can get around it if you live in Australia.
When are the Singapore Olympic Esports Finals happening?
The Olympic Esports Finals will kick off in Singapore for four days from June 22 to June 25, 2023. According to the official site, the four-day festival will “showcase the best of virtual sports, exhibit the latest technologies and innovations in the field of simulated sports, and present opportunities for participants to try their hand at selected virtual sports titles.”
Where can I watch the Singapore Olympic Esports Finals in Australia?
Australian viewers can catch all the action from the Singapore Olympic Esports Finals streaming live and on-demand after the fact on Stan Sport.
Which games will be featured at the Singapore Olympic Esports Finals?
Archery
The Game: Tic Tac Bow
Yes, that’s right, I’ve never heard of it either. A little-known mobile game with only a small number of downloads at the time of its big tap on the shoulder somehow found itself selected as an official Olympic esport.
Baseball
The Game: WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros
Chess
The Game: Chess.com
Cycling
The Game: Zwift
Dance
The Game: Just Dance
Motorsport
The Game: Gran Turismo 7
Sailing
The Game: Virtual Regatta
Shooting
The Game: Fortnite
Taekwondo
The Game: Virtual Taekwondo
Tennis
The Game: Tennis Clash
You’re telling me Fortnite is an official Olympic sport now?
Believe it or not, yes! The IOC and the Singapore National Olympic Council created a special game mode in Fortnite Creative to facilitate a proper shooting competition. The Fortnite competition will be set on a specially made International Shooting Sport Federation Island that reflects the rules and regulations of Olympic shooting. The IOC says players “will be tested on their target aiming accuracy, just as sport shooters would in competition.” The event will be an invitational and will feature 12 players from the Fortnite Champion Series
OK, but why these games?
Each of the ten games in the competition was chosen by various international federations to represent their sport in the competition. You might be thinking, why would the World Baseball Softball Confederation choose WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros as the game that represents it at the Olympic level over something like, say, MLB: The Show? Take another look at that title: The WBSC is right there in the name — it’s the Confederation’s official game.
For others, like the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (the FIA, motorsport’s governing body), the choice of Gran Turismo 7 is a no-brainer. GT7 is already used as a training simulator for various racing disciplines and prides itself on being one of the more realistic driving sims on the market. Chess.com is another clear pick.
For other sports less often represented in video games, their choices may have been somewhat slimmer. Virtual Regatta, for instance, is one of only a handful of games about the highly regulated sport of sailing. Virtual Taekwondo and Zwift are in a similar space — fighting and cycling games exist, but are they the kinds of games the IOC would consider Olympic level? (I can hear the FGC screaming YES at the top of their lungs from here, advocating fiercely for pro-level Street Fighter and Tekken).
Which nations/teams/athletes are competing?
A great question! The Singapore Esports Finals have not yet confirmed which athletes, teams or nations will be competing. Many of the athletes will arrive at the competition via game-specific feeder series that have been running since March. We will update this list once we have a full list of the athletes attending the event.
When can I see each of these games in action?
Currently, the schedule looks like this:
23 June
- Just Dance (dance sport)
- Virtual Regatta (sailing)
- Tic Tac Bow (archery)
- Zwift (cycling)
24 June
- Tennis Clash (tennis)
- Fortnite (shooting)
- Chess.com (chess)
- WBSC eBaseball™: Power Pros (baseball)
25 June
- Gran Turismo (motorsport)
- Virtual Taekwondo (taekwondo)
Official timings are yet to be confirmed.
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