The Olympics should learn from the Asian Games
are old—the first modern edition was held in Athens in 1896—and so are the fans. The median age of American viewers of the games in Barcelona in 1992 was 39. That increased to 53 for the Rio de Janeiro games of 2016. Overall viewing figures are sinking, too. At the most recent games in Tokyo in 2021, delayed from 2020, they were a third lower than in 2008.
Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee , has acknowledged that the games risk losing relevance. “We have to keep connected” with society, he said in 2020. To do so, the Olympics are expanding, adding what Mr Bach described as “youth-based” sports. In Tokyo, climbing, skateboarding and surfing were put on the schedule. In Paris next year, breakdancing will feature for the first time. Undoubtedly the youth will be thrilled.
E-sports command a huge audience. By 2025, around 320m fans are expected to be watching at least once a month, reckons Newzoo, a data firm. In 2021 peak viewership for the World Championship final of League of Legends, a fantasy strategy game, was nearly 74m people, according to Riot Games, the game’s publishers. The peak figure for the Super Bowl, the highlight of the American football year, was 115m.has approached e-sports like an uncool dad.
Capturing a big audience matters for events like the Olympics, which have seen the costs of infrastructure and security balloon in recent years. The inclusion of e-sports would boost revenues from media rights and sponsorship. The industry was valued at $1.4bn last year, a figure that is expected to triple by 2030, according to Cognitive Market Research, a consulting firm.remains hesitant about embracing the gaming world.
And as for Olympic values? At a tournament in February 2022, just after Russia invaded Ukraine, Oleksandr Kostyliev, a Ukrainian gamer, spoke warmly of his team-mates, three Russians and one Ukrainian, whom he called “my real friends”. Team Spirit, another team containing Ukrainian and Russian gamers, responded to the invasion by releasing a statement saying, “We are against war and we are against violence.” Excellence, friendship and respect are the three Olympic values.
Belgique Dernières Nouvelles, Belgique Actualités
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