Esports in Olympics: When can competitive titles like Valorant, League of Legends, and more feature on the world's biggest stage? 

The Olympics and esports have nothing in common, with the two showcasing two different spectrums of athleticism and showmanship. The former puts the very best of professional athletes through the rigors of different competitions in the real world. Esports, on the other hand, does somewhat the same, but competitors instead use their hands, eyes, and brains as they try to outdo each other in front of PC monitors.

As different as the two are, they can come together in about a decade from now if recent news is anything to go by.

It has appeared that Brisbane, the host of the 2032 Olympics, is contemplating including esports in the main event. This will likely be under the category of the host nation, suggesting new events as either a one-off or permanent addition to the games. While the conclusion is far from being drawn, there's an incredible chance for the virtual competition to make its debut ten years from now.

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Esports in the Olympics is much more likely than what some people think

The Olympics has traditionally been about physical competition between top athletes from all over the world. But that doesn't mean the games have stopped evolving, as much has changed between the ancient and the modern versions.

The IOC (International Olympic Committee) has been looking at options to modernize the game by including skateboarding events. The objective is to make the games appealing to the younger generation and connect with them. This has been taken under consideration by Kirsty Coventry, the chair of Brisbane's Olympic coordination commission.

"What we are looking for is sports which are well appreciated by the younger generation. As you've already seen with Tokyo and previous Games, it's really about getting them excited by the Olympic dream."

This, however, doesn't mean that esports will surely be there for the 2032 Olympics, but it keeps the door open. There will be a lobby for more traditional sports from Australia like cricket and netball. However, esports will likely have a wider audience, although age demography will be an obvious factor.

It's quite interesting that the IOC will be conducting a virtual sports event in Singapore later next year. This will be the second one following what was organized in 2021 before the Tokyo Olympics. It's quite clear that the IOC sees the potential scope for growth and viewer engagement that could help its cause.

Another major factor might be the adoption of esports by other similar competitions from all around the world. The Asian Games 2022 will already have the event as the medal category after successfully testing it in 2018.

The Commonwealth Games, which will take place in Birmingham this year, will be having its pilot event. Although it doesn't seem as extensive as the Asian Games, it could be walking the same path.

These two competitions are smaller and limited in scale compared to the Olympics, but they all have much in common. A successful exposition of esports at these games and success at separate events will make its presence in the Olympic Games a reality soon.