IOC Opens Door to E-Sports in Olympics

The International Olympic Committee has taken the first step toward allowing competitive video game playing into the Olympics, NBC Sports reports. According to Reuters, the IOC released a statement Saturday after meeting in Switzerland stating that e-sports "could be considered as a sporting activity, and the players involved prepare and train with an intensity which may be comparable to athletes in traditional sports." 

It's a sign of progress for competitive video game playing after IOC president Thomas Bach previously said the committee was "not yet 100% clear whether e-sports is really sports." The IOC has been eyeing e-sports as one possible way of getting young people invested in the Olympics, and the team behind the 2024 Paris Games had asked to discuss adding e-sports because "the youth are interested," the BBC reports.

Read the full story on Newser.com

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