Adding video games to Olympics makes sense given massive online audience, Esports advocate says

Video game lovers from across the globe might be able to go for the gold by playing e-sports in the Paris Olympics.

Earlier this week, TonyEstanguet,co-president of the Paris Olympic bid committee, said there will be talks with e-sports representativesabout the possibility of gaming being included inthe 2024 Olympic lineup.

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RyanPallett, presidentof the Toronto Esports Club, saidthe popularity ofe-sportsis on the rise,with some tournament prizes reaching more than $1-millionand viewership that rivals some major league sporting events.

"A lot of tournaments are held in sporting stadiums,they often sell out up to 20, 30, 40,000 live attendees, and the crowds are cheering and just as passionate as traditional sports fans,"Palletttold theCalgaryEyeopener.

"I guess the only main difference is that instead of watching the athletes, mostly you're watching the action on a screen instead."

Best of the best

There are only a handful of video games in contention to become Olympice-sports,saidPallett, including League of Legends andCounter-Strike.

Pallettsaid the League of Legends championships was watchedby a staggering46 million viewers online.

"The NBA finals this past year I think was 44 million at its peak. So I think that's what spurred this on in the first place is that people are starting to see how popular this is among young people,"Pallettsaid.

Just like big names in traditional sports,Pallettsaid there are "rock stars" in the gaming community, including League of Legends' reigning championLeeSang-hyeok,better known by his username, "Faker."

"(Faker) has sort of like a multi-million dollar contract and sponsorship deals,"Pallettsaid. "And the same applies for dozens players around the world, including Canadian players and North American players in different games."

The nexte-sportsstarcouldeven be Canadian, asPallettsaid colder countries tend to do better in international competitionsbecausegamers are inside practising when the weather turns sour.

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Case in point, Regina's Mathew Fiorantewon a share of a $1-million prize last year in winning the world's largest tournament for the science-fiction game Halo.

From physical to digital

Pallettsaid e-sportsathletes undergo a lot of preparation to become an e-sportprofessionals. But Pallettsaid their training includes more than just logging hours on the computer.

"These players train 12, 14 hours a day and that includes physical training as well," Pallett said."They go to the gym every day, they takecare of their diets."

A physician as well as an e-sportsadvocate, Pallettsaid "physical fitness helps mental performance" and staying healthy helps givese-sportsplayers an edge on their competition.

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Pallett said he is hopeful e-sportswill become an Olympic event for the Paris 2024 games, but added gaming would probably do better in the Winter Olympics.

E-sportshavealready been embraced by the Asian Games andwill become a full sport in the games by 2022.

Paris will be confirmed as 2024 hosts at an International Olympic Committee gathering in Lima, Peru, next month.

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• With files from the Calgary Eyeopener