eSports is about the receive a huge boost in a big way as the eGames international gaming tournament is scheduled to be held during the Rio Summer Olympics this year.
Backed by the UK government, the eGames will be run by the new International eGames Committee (IEGC). Scheduled to take place during the both the Summer and Winter Olympics, it seems that the eGames is set up to be a bi-yearly affair. During a non-Olympic year, national qualifiers will be held domestically in order to create a team that would be sent to compete in the following year.
Unlike other eSports competitions that have a prize pool, the eGames will be done in a style akin to traditional Olympics. In short, winners and runner-ups in the event will win medals for their achievements.
Currently, only Britain, Canada, Brazil and the USA are the confirmed entrants. That said the IEGC has promised that more information will be revealed during April and May, so team announcements as well as the games being contested, will continue throughout the next two months.
The eGames that would be held in Rio 2016 would happen for two days as a sort of pilot project. The IEGC has said that the first full eGames is expected to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018 and Tokyo, Japan in 2020.
Source: eGames