Following their recent collaboration announced last month, the International Esports Federation (IESF) and Global Esports Federation (GEF) launched the Esports Leadership Group (ELG) this week.
After the International Olympic Committee (IOC) declared in October its intention to initiate the Olympics of Esports Games as soon as 2026, cooperation between these two significant global Esports federations ensued.
Neither the IESF nor GEF are officially acknowledged federations by the IOC. The latest Olympic Esports Week, intended to assess the evolving genre, utilized traditional sports federations to support games that are either simulation or hybrid models of the initial game, such as Zwift for cycling, eBaseball: Power Pros, and Chess.com. The IOC firmly ensures that games included are non-violent and adhere to strict Olympic values.
The initial competition created a rift with many top-tier eSports athletes due to the unpopular game choices.
The main eSports federations, which often organize Championships with popular games such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Valorant, felt increasingly distanced by IOC’s strategy. However, given the inevitable Olympic Esports Games, these federations are strategizing to be involved.
Ser Miang Ng, the IOC’s Vice President, has been appointed the ELG’s chair, likely due to his IOC influence. This Singaporean was also the Olympic Esports Week Steering Committee’s Chairman and will serve as the federations’ contact point with the IOC executives during the development of the Olympic Esports Games.
David Lappartient was appointed by the IOC to lead the Esports Commission. He was the prior head of the Esports Liaison Group, the IOC’s initial stage into investigating eSports’ potential.
Ng states, “We are moving into an exciting stage of the development of esports, including the recent announcement by the IOC on Olympic Esports Games and diverse content being offered globally,” in a statement.
The combined efforts and work between GEF and IESF aim to contribute to the global growth of eSports and the potential of collaborating with the International Olympic Committee and sports.
According to Ng, bridging eSports with sports will provide countless possibilities for young people worldwide, utilizing the innovation of eSports and the values of sports. He states it is his privilege and delight to collaborate with HRH Prince Faisal (IESF President) and Chris Chan (GES President) on this promising initiative.
The ELG is now focused on adhering to the collaboration’s terms and creating mutual initiatives for the gaming community.
An IOC spokesperson shared last week that discussions are ongoing with several National Olympic Committees interested in hosting the Olympic Esports Games’ first event. No schedule has been shared, and Japan is the only one to have identified itself as an interested party.