Olympic Esports Series 2023 commences Qualifiers- announces International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee announced the commencement of The Olympic Esports Series 2023 yesterday. Earlier last year in November, the International Olympic Committee had revealed the Olympic Esports Week as being built on the success of The Virtual Series from 2021. While the Olympic Virtual Series was a pre-game event leading up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the Esports Series 2023 will “culminate in live, in-person finals for the first time”. Here are all the latest details now available on the Olympic Esports Week. 

Games Featured

The competitive games to be featured in the Olympic Esports Week 2023, are presented by the International Federations of the sport, and the game publishers. The International Olympic Committee has revealed the list of games that will be competed in. Check them out here.

SPORT	GAME	PRESENTING INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION
Archery	Tic Tac Bow	World Archery Federation
Baseball	WBSC eBaseball Power Pros	World Baseball Softball Confederation
Chess	Chess.com	International Chess Federation
Cycling	Zwift	UCI
Dance	JustDance	World DanceSport Federation
Motor sport	Gran Turismo	Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile
Sailing	Virtual Regatta	World Sailing
Taekwondo	Virtual Taekwondo	World Taekwondo
Tennis	Tennis Clash	International Tennis Federation

Olympic Esports Series 2023 Qualifiers- Schedule, format and requirements

The Olympic Esports Series 2023 began yesterday with the commencement of the qualification rounds. The Qualifiers will end by May 15, and interested candidates can now go and register themselves starting with the creation of an Olympic ID right here. Check out the schedule, format and requirements of the Olympic Esports Series Qualifiers right here. 

Game	Schedule	Format	Requirements
Archery (Tic Tac Bow)	Starts Spring 2023	-	Mobile device with internet connection (Tic Tac Bow can be downloaded from app stores)
Baseball (WBSC eBASEBALL: POWER PROS)	Starts March 27, 2023	Ladder Format	PlayStation 4/ PlayStation 5/  Nintendo Switch (game can be downloaded from PlayStation store or Nintendo eShop)
Chess(Chess.com)	April 1-7, 2023	A mix of open qualifiers and invitationals over three rounds, where players can participate in as many qualifiers as they choose until the open qualification round closes. Top 8 players will compete in the Finals.	-
Motorsport (Gran Turismo 7)	Starts April 13, 2023	Drivers will compete in a time trial on a track where the top rankers will qualify for the Finals.	PlayStation 4/ PlayStation 5 with Gran Turismo 7 downloaded
Sailing (Virtual Regatta)	Starts March 17, 2023	Includes 8 qualifiers over 2 categories- the offshore 30-day-long endurance race and the inshore competition, across different boat classes including 49er, Laser and Nacra 17.Players with the highest score from each of the qualifiers, along with the female and male player with the highest average score throughout the qualifier, will advance to the Finals.	Mobile device with internet connection (Tic Tac Bow can be downloaded from app stores)
Tennis (Tennis Clash)	Not revealed yet	Not revealed yet	Not revealed yet

Dance, Taekwondo and sailing are invitational events. For Cycling, the Zwift Grand Prix cycling series and the 2023 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships will determine the “best virtual riders” to participate in the Olympic Esports Week. Ubisoft and the World DanceSport Federation on the other hand, will be selecting the best athletes who will participate in the Finals.  

Other details

The previous announcement from 2022 had already revealed Singapore as the host country for the Olympic Esports Week. For context, the live finals of the Olympics Esports Series have been titled the Olympic Esports Week. It will be held at Singapore’s Suntec Centre, starting 22nd June to 25th June. 

The four-day “festival” is to be organized by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Sport Singapore and the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC). The “very best of virtual sports” will be showcased, including technology exhibitions, show matches, expert panel discussions, along with the live finals of the Olympic Esports Series.