After organizing the Olympic Virtual Series exclusively online in 2020, the International Olympic Committee organized this weekend Esports Olympic Series 2023, the first official Olympic e-sport event bringing together players face-to-face, from June 22 to 25 in Singapore. And, yes, there was indeed a test of Fortnite.
If the latter was won by anonan Australian, France has stood out with no less than 4 victories out of the 10 tournaments offered by the competition. Not surprisingly, Amandine Morisset aka TheFairyDina won the gold medal on just danceshe who is used to gleaning trophies during competitions on the game. Kylian Drumont, already noticed on the stage Gran Turismo 7 with his victory in the Nations Cup in 2022, also won the trophy, as did Anass Benghazi aka Anteo on the mobile game Tennis Clash and Tim Carpentier aka UOL Pepito on Virtual Regatta.
All the winners of the 2023 Esports Olympic Series
- Archery (Tic Tac Bow): Jared “MontyDey” Montgomery (USA)
- Baseball (WBSC eBASEBALL: POWER PROS): Mori “SHORA” Shoma (JPN)
- Chess (Chess.com): Aleksei Sarana (SRB)
- Cycling (Zwift): Team Fuego – Lou Bates (GBR), Marlene Bjärehed (SWE), James Barnes (RSA) and Martin Maertens (GER)
- Dance (Just Dance): Amandine “TheFairyDina” Morisset (FRA)
- Motorsport (Gran Turismo 7): Kylian Drumont (FRA)
- Sailing (Virtual Regatta): Tim “UOL Pepitõ” Carpentier (FRA)
- Shooting (ISSF Challenge with Fortnite): Lucas “anon” Malissa (AUS)
- Taekwondo (Virtual Taekwondo): Nigel Tan (SGP)
- Tennis (Tennis Clash): Anass “Anteo” Benghazi (FRA)
Let’s hope that France shines as much during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games… THE International Olympic Committee seems in any case delighted with this first real edition of the Olympic Esports Weekwhich also made it possible to organize several conferences and to highlight taekwondo via its counterpart with a virtual reality helmet.
Singapore is no stranger to hosting inaugural events on the Olympic calendar, having already hosted the inaugural Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games 13 years ago.
This week again, the city-state was at the forefront of innovation with a new Olympic event, the first-ever Olympic Esports Week, where the 2023 Olympic Esports Series final 10 took place.
It started with the Olympic Esports Week forum, which saw industry leaders in tech, gaming and real-life sports speak, as well as top players like Ewok and Jaime “Karma” Bickford. .
Then the competition began. From the very first event, the cycling final on Zwift, to the very last, the eFIBA exhibition on NBA2K23, sports and gaming have come together to offer an impressive spectacle.
Tic Tac Bow (archery), Virtual Regatta (sailing), Just Dance (dancing), WBSC eBASEBALL: POWER PROS (baseball), Chess.com (chess), Tennis Clash (tennis), ISSF Challenge with Fortnite ( shooting) and Gran Turismo 7 (motorsport) thus enjoyed their hour of glory under the Olympic rings.
Shooting and motorsport competitions, held across hugely popular games around the world, have naturally been popular, but it’s Virtual Taekwondo, the newest event in the 2023 Olympic Esports Series, that drew the largest crowd of all Olympic Esports Week.
Strong local support during Esports Olympic Series taekwondo event
With six local taekwondo athletes having qualified for the final stages of the competition, local fans came out in force to cheer on their compatriots. Two of them made it to the finals, securing host country Singapore a winner in the first Esports Olympic Series finals and adding a local touch to the list of winners, much to the delight of the public.
The taekwondo event was marked by a unique moment: Wu Jingyu’s granddaughter hugged her mother, a two-time Olympic champion and Esports Olympic Series bronze medalist, before showing off her own taekwondo skills.
Some of the world’s best players from Rocket League, Virtual Table Tennis, duathlon (Arena Games Triathlon), Street Fighter 6 and eFIBA on NBA2K also showed off their skills in a hotly contested competition, regardless of exhibition status. these events.
And, of course, the public had the chance to enjoy all the free play areas spread throughout the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Center throughout the week, perhaps coming away with a newfound love for a sport or game they was able to try for the first time virtually.
An exciting and groundbreaking week for the first-ever Olympic Esports Week may have come to an end, but the memories will live on for a long time, both in Singapore and among players returning home.
If you want to try your hand at possible future editions, Gran Turismo 7 is available from €44.99 on Amazon.co.uk.
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