Esports New Zealand is feeling disappointment after being left out of a funding boost ahead of the next Olympics.
High Performance Sport NZ has confirmed it will invest over $160 million into various Kiwi sporting organisations over the next four years - with rowing, cycling, speed climbing and tennis among the sports set to benefit.
Conor English, the President of the New Zealand Esports Federation, says this comes at at an unfortunate time, with the first-ever esport Olympics set to take place in 2025.
"As a country, we are very well-placed because we've got a national sporting organisation that is in the esports area ahead of a lot of other countries, but we do need funding from the Government. And if High Performance Sport isn't going to deliver it, I guess the question is - how will we get some funding?"
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Sports, esports and z They're not happy. They say it's
short sighted that they've been left out of a funding
boost from High Performance Sport. New Zealand. High Performance Sport
just announced it's investing around one hundred and sixty million
dollars for thirty six national sporting organizations over the next
four years. Some of the sports included rowing, you name them,
you'll know them, cycling, speed climbing, tennis, but electronic sports.
(00:24):
Nah President of the New Zealand es Sports Federation, it's
Connor English's with me this afternoon, Connor Giday.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Good right, how are you good?
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Thank you? What did they say to you exactly when
they rejected you?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
They just said that on this occasion, your investment request
has been unsuccessful when assessed against the criteria.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
What's the criteria?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Oh, look, it's on your website.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Well hang on, let me ask you. That's a different question.
Is one of the criteria that it has to be
an actual sport.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Well, the sports is a sport and we know this,
Ryan because the New Inland, sorry, the International Olympic Committee
are setting up a whole new Olympic Games around the sports.
You'll have the Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics and then
the Esport Olympics, which is a third part of what
they do. And I think it's recognized globally that esport
(01:26):
is a sport.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
And there was slightly a slightly tag and check question,
but I think I think people, I mean, here's the question,
if you're the sporting high performance sporting body, wouldn't you
rather isn't it better to fund sport the actual sport,
the one where people are physically doing it, rather than
the e version.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Well, high performance sport in New Zeland have actually provided
five thousand dollars a year out of one hundred and
sixty million dollars for supporting a high performance athlete from
the New Zealand d sport. There's j J. K. King
and he's been in a football and he's actually done
not too bad. He's been to a lot of international tournaments.
(02:08):
But I think the thing with esport does seem to
take some people a while to get their head around.
Is it. It's digital competition that we're talking about, and
that can take the form of a swift, which is
people sitting on a cycle riding a bike literally, but
someone else is riding a bike somewhere else. And they're
competing digitally, or you have digital manifestations of existing traditional
(02:31):
sports like say soccer or rugby or basketball. And in
the third area is really around that sort of you know,
seem to see if you're like around Fortnite, Go to two,
you know, rocket Works and all that, those sorts of games,
because there's a real variety of them.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
So you can actually get a sweat on doing a sport.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yeah, absolutely, and I think the thing that makes a
lot of skill to be an esport athlete.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
I'm sure it does. What about the cost though, There's
got to be a massive difference here. I mean, if
you're swimming, if you're doing real swimming in an actual pool,
you're going to need an actual pool.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
You're going to.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Need you know, a mountain bike if you're doing mountain bike.
You know, the costs involved surely would be far greater
for those doing the real sport than the esport.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Well it could be. I mean, an esport you can
play on your phone, on your laptop or on a console.
And we've got a lot of people in New Zealand
who are gaming and playing esports, you know like this,
you know, almost one and a half million people or
so that are engaging digitally in a digital competition, sorry,
on a sort of a weekly basis. So it's just
(03:41):
getting more and more popular and it is very accessible,
as you say, and very inclusive.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Why is it more inclusive than actual sport?
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Ah, because it doesn't matter what your shape or sizes,
what your race or creed is. All that matters is
whether you've got more points than the other guy. And
anyone who can use their brain and use their arms
and legs can play.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Yeah, but it isn't I mean, shouldn't sport be about athleticism?
You know, if some fat bugger can beat you, you know,
are you really a champion?
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Well? You know, I think there's all SATs and sizes
with athletes as well.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
No, I know, you know what I'm saying. And the
other thing is we're trying to get rid of obesity
in New Zealand. Do we really want to be encouraging
people to be you know, on their computers.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
I've been too a few international events where we've had
players from you know, one hundred countries engaging in competition,
and you know, just a casual observation was there was
all shapes and sizes there, just like there is if
you go to an athletic sports.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Event, interesting, all right, So are you going to follow
up with them any hope still that you holding out
hope that you might get some funding from Higher Performance?
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Well it's really disappointing in that this is a four
year program that they've rejected and we've got Eestport Olympics
next year and then two years later. And as a
country we are very well placed because we have got
a national sporting organization that is in the esports area,
so we're ahead of a lot of other countries. But
we do need funding from government and if High Performance
(05:22):
Sport isn't going to deliver it, I guess the question
is how will we get some funding? Because if we
want to look credible on the international stage at the
Olympic level, we do need to have some funding. So
if New Zealand as a country and as a government
wants to reject these sports and doesn't want to be
a participant in it, then I think the government and
the Minister of Sport and High Performance in Design should
(05:43):
just say that and then we can skin the cats
some other way.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Thanks so much for your time. Connor English, President of
the New Zealand Esports Federation. We'd love to hear your
views this afternoon. Nine two niney two is the numbers text.
Do you think they are deserving of a bit of dosh?
We could ask two Here's and next. For more from
Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news talks it'd
be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
Sports, esports and z They're not happy. They say it's
short sighted that they've been left out of a funding
boost from High Performance Sport. New Zealand. High Performance Sport
just announced it's investing around one hundred and sixty million
dollars for thirty six national sporting organizations over the next
four years. Some of the sports included rowing, you name them,
you'll know them, cycling, speed climbing, tennis, but electronic sports.
(00:24):
Nah President of the New Zealand es Sports Federation, it's
Connor English's with me this afternoon, Connor Giday.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Good right, how are you good?
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Thank you? What did they say to you exactly when
they rejected you?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
They just said that on this occasion, your investment request
has been unsuccessful when assessed against the criteria.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
What's the criteria?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Oh, look, it's on your website.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Well hang on, let me ask you. That's a different question.
Is one of the criteria that it has to be
an actual sport.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Well, the sports is a sport and we know this,
Ryan because the New Inland, sorry, the International Olympic Committee
are setting up a whole new Olympic Games around the sports.
You'll have the Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics and then
the Esport Olympics, which is a third part of what
they do. And I think it's recognized globally that esport
(01:26):
is a sport.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
And there was slightly a slightly tag and check question,
but I think I think people, I mean, here's the question,
if you're the sporting high performance sporting body, wouldn't you
rather isn't it better to fund sport the actual sport,
the one where people are physically doing it, rather than
the e version.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Well, high performance sport in New Zeland have actually provided
five thousand dollars a year out of one hundred and
sixty million dollars for supporting a high performance athlete from
the New Zealand d sport. There's j J. K. King
and he's been in a football and he's actually done
not too bad. He's been to a lot of international tournaments.
(02:08):
But I think the thing with esport does seem to
take some people a while to get their head around.
Is it. It's digital competition that we're talking about, and
that can take the form of a swift, which is
people sitting on a cycle riding a bike literally, but
someone else is riding a bike somewhere else. And they're
competing digitally, or you have digital manifestations of existing traditional
(02:31):
sports like say soccer or rugby or basketball. And in
the third area is really around that sort of you know,
seem to see if you're like around Fortnite, Go to two,
you know, rocket Works and all that, those sorts of games,
because there's a real variety of them.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
So you can actually get a sweat on doing a sport.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yeah, absolutely, and I think the thing that makes a
lot of skill to be an esport athlete.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
I'm sure it does. What about the cost though, There's
got to be a massive difference here. I mean, if
you're swimming, if you're doing real swimming in an actual pool,
you're going to need an actual pool.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
You're going to.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Need you know, a mountain bike if you're doing mountain bike.
You know, the costs involved surely would be far greater
for those doing the real sport than the esport.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Well it could be. I mean, an esport you can
play on your phone, on your laptop or on a console.
And we've got a lot of people in New Zealand
who are gaming and playing esports, you know like this,
you know, almost one and a half million people or
so that are engaging digitally in a digital competition, sorry,
on a sort of a weekly basis. So it's just
(03:41):
getting more and more popular and it is very accessible,
as you say, and very inclusive.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Why is it more inclusive than actual sport?
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Ah, because it doesn't matter what your shape or sizes,
what your race or creed is. All that matters is
whether you've got more points than the other guy. And
anyone who can use their brain and use their arms
and legs can play.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Yeah, but it isn't I mean, shouldn't sport be about athleticism?
You know, if some fat bugger can beat you, you know,
are you really a champion?
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Well? You know, I think there's all SATs and sizes
with athletes as well.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
No, I know, you know what I'm saying. And the
other thing is we're trying to get rid of obesity
in New Zealand. Do we really want to be encouraging
people to be you know, on their computers.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
I've been too a few international events where we've had
players from you know, one hundred countries engaging in competition,
and you know, just a casual observation was there was
all shapes and sizes there, just like there is if
you go to an athletic sports.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Event, interesting, all right, So are you going to follow
up with them any hope still that you holding out
hope that you might get some funding from Higher Performance?
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Well it's really disappointing in that this is a four
year program that they've rejected and we've got Eestport Olympics
next year and then two years later. And as a
country we are very well placed because we have got
a national sporting organization that is in the esports area,
so we're ahead of a lot of other countries. But
we do need funding from government and if High Performance
(05:22):
Sport isn't going to deliver it, I guess the question
is how will we get some funding? Because if we
want to look credible on the international stage at the
Olympic level, we do need to have some funding. So
if New Zealand as a country and as a government
wants to reject these sports and doesn't want to be
a participant in it, then I think the government and
the Minister of Sport and High Performance in Design should
(05:43):
just say that and then we can skin the cats
some other way.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Thanks so much for your time. Connor English, President of
the New Zealand Esports Federation. We'd love to hear your
views this afternoon. Nine two niney two is the numbers text.
Do you think they are deserving of a bit of dosh?
We could ask two Here's and next. For more from
Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news talks it'd
be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
iHeartRadio 24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.