Everything you need to know about Olympic Esports Week Forum 2023
A Forum will take place on 22 June 2023 during the inaugural Olympic Esports Week (OEW) in Singapore. Want to know more about the Forum? What are the topics? Who are the speakers? This is what you need to know.
The Olympic Esports Week 2023 (OEW) is nearly here. The inaugural OEW will take place in Singapore at the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre from 22 to 25 June 2023.
It is designed to support the development of esports within the Olympic Movement and to engage with the competitive gaming community.
As part of this, an Olympic Esports Week Forum will be held on 22 June ahead of the Opening Ceremony.
What is the Olympic Esports Week Forum?
The Forum is an invite-only event which will offer a platform for industry leaders to exchange ideas and share insights on sport and esports alike. By facilitating open dialogue and knowledge sharing, sports committees around the world can also learn how to effectively engage their local gaming communities and vice-versa.
It includes keynote speeches from experts and practitioners, followed by panel discussions. These sessions, scheduled in the morning and after lunch, will feature topics including the gamification of sports, performance between sports and esports, as well as inclusivity in gaming for individuals of different genders, physical abilities and income levels.
The conversations started at the Olympic Esports Week Forum hold immense potential in helping the International Olympic Committee and international federations (IFs) to achieve the objectives outlined in the Olympic Agenda 2020+5. These include growing digital engagement, forging connections with gaming communities and reinforcing safe sport initiatives, ultimately leading development of virtual competition in the Olympics and the rest of the sporting world.
What will be the topics discussed at the Olympic Esports Week Forum?
There will be four distinct topics at this year's Olympic Esports Week Forum.
The first will be on Technology and Development; the second on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; the third on Health & Clean (E)sports; and the last topic of discussion will be Player Welfare.
There is also a slot dedicated to Singapore and its role as a future hub in world esports.
Who will speak at the Olympic Esports Week Forum?
Singapore's Minister of State for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and Ministry of Trade and Industry, Alvin Tan, will deliver the opening address.
The Alibaba Group's President of Corporate Development, Chris Tung, will deliver the keynote speech in the Technology and Development section.
Singaporean swimmer and Paralympic Games medallist Theresa Goh will host a chat during the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion segment.
Dr. Melita N. Moore, who has served as a team physician for both sports and esports teams, and Apex Legends and Fortnite streamer Ewok – who is deaf – will deliver keynote speeches for Health & Clean (E)sports.
And in the final section, Player Welfare, you can hear keynotes from Rocket League streamer Jaime "Karma" Bickford as well as Dr. Hee Jung Hong, a senior lecturer in sports at the University of Stirling.
There are many other panellists who will also participate in the Forum.
Closing remarks will be delivered by International Cycling Union president and the Chairman of the IOC's Esports Liaison Group, David Lappartient.
What is the schedule of the Olympic Esports Week Forum?
The Forum is scheduled to begin at 9am local time (1am UTC) and run through 4:30pm local time (8:30am UTC).
How can I follow the Olympic Esports Week Forum?
While the Forum will not be streamed live, a wrap-up of the key discussion points raised during the forum will be available on Olympics.com afterwards. And don't forget to follow all of Olympics.com's extensive coverage from the Olympic Esports Week.