Intel plans to host the 'esports Olympics'

Intel, a worldwide Olympic partner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has over 1200 drones unveiled at the venue's 5G network and opening ceremony at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which began on July 23, 2021. We provide various technologies such as the light show by. The Washington Post reports that Intel is holding the e-sports world competition ' Intel World Open ' with the backup of the IOC.

Intel World Open gives Tokyo Olympics a taste of esports ... virtually --The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/07/24/tokyo-olympics-esports/

The Intel World Open is a prize-winning esports competition organized by Intel under the pretext of 'the official e-sports event partner for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics,' online from May 15, 2021 to July 21, just before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. It was held and a total prize of 500,000 dollars (about 55 million yen) was set.

The Intel World Open was originally scheduled to take place in 2020 at Zepp DiverCity , adjacent to one of the Olympic venues, Aomi Urban Sports Park. However, due to the pandemic of the new coronavirus, it was postponed with the Olympics, and it was decided to hold it online.

At the Olympics, there is a move to adopt e-sports as a formal event . Although e-sports was not adopted at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which was expected to be the first official event, IOC launched the official e-sports event ' Olympic Virtual Series (OVS)' in April 2021. Announced. Held from May 13th to June 23rd of the same year, OVS was the first ever Olympic-licensed e-sports tournament, with five official events: baseball, cycling, boating, sailing, and motorsports. rice field.

However, this OVS is not an established popular esports event, but merely a virtual experience of real-life sports in games. Popular titles such as 'Street Fighter V, ' ' Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, ' ' League of Legends, ' and ' Dota 2 ' used in previous e-sports competitions were not used in OVS by the IOC. It is said that he thinks that violent games are incompatible with the values of the Olympic Games. In fact, in 2018, IOC President Thomas Bach said, 'Games that kill people don't fit the values of the Olympics.' 'Every battle sport has its origins in human fighting, but sports call it' civilization. ' If e-sports include a 'killing game,' it doesn't match the values of the Olympics. '

IOC President says that violent games like the Olympics and FPS are incompatible with each other-GIGAZINE

On the other hand, Intel World Open is not an IOC but an Intel-sponsored tournament, but Intel emphasized its partnership with the IOC in its news release. In addition, Intel World Open is officially licensed to use the trademark 'Olympic'. As a result, esports has not yet been officially adopted for the Olympic Games, but Intel World Open is an e-sports competition that is closer to the official Olympic Games.

In addition, two titles, 'Street Fighter V' and ' Rocket League, ' were adopted for the Intel World Open event. Although the FPS title, which was criticized as violent, was not adopted, this is the first time that the Olympic Games have adopted two popular titles in the e-sports world.

'By preparing multiple titles for the Intel World Open, we were able to increase the excitement and participation in the community,' said Marcus Kennedy, general manager of gaming and e-sports at Intel. The communities of 'V' and 'Rocket League' are completely different, 'he said.' By preparing one-on-one competitions and team competitions, we should have a range that can be linked to the message of the entire Olympic Games. Anyone can participate in this tournament. '

According to Kennedy, Intel plans to hold an e-sports world tournament in conjunction with the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics, similar to the Intel World Open. Prior to this, Intel has partnered with the German esports operator Electronic Sports League (ESL) for esports operations.

'We are looking for a compromise on how big the event should be, without significantly impacting the player's experience,' said Bastian Weiser, director of partner management at ESL. It's different, but in the end I was able to hold the Intel World Open without canceling, so I'm really glad. '

'The esports market is very difficult to make money. Intel World Open isn't about making money, it's about showing the gaming community that Intel is a leader in esports. It's an event. '