[TABjornbrandr]

It seems like a novel idea, eSports (Starcraft 2 in particular) at the Olympic Games. After reading an article that Day9 tweeted about recently, I gave some thought to the idea.

Here's the most important part of the topic for those that don't want to go through the whole article:

Originally Posted by Forbes Article on Olympic eSports

What’s required to pass that hurdle for eSports to become an Olympic sport and how soon could that happen?

There are three hurdles to jump to make eSports an Olympic sport. Firstly, an International Federation must be formed and govern the sport. Many industry advocates have been campaigning for this for some time, and it is likely a formality which will eventuate as eSports matures. Secondly, participation numbers must meet IOC requirements, and if we aren’t there already, we will be soon. The biggest hurdle is convincing the IOC’s Olympic Program Commission to recommend the sport’s inclusion. This will be a political battle that will have to overcome the same prejudices and misrepresentations cited by the general public about competitive gaming today.

In the past, exhibition events were used as a sort of trial for sports popular in the host country or those having received wider acceptance. This path has been closed by the IOC, however the Beijing Organizing Committee received special permission to organize a wushu tournament, so it may still be possible.

The IOC has already voted on the inclusion of rugby and golf in the 2016 Summer Games, so 2020 will be the earliest we could see eSports in the Olympics.

Personally, I think it's going to be a massive challenge to even get close to Starcraft being an Olympic sport. I'm also undecided as to whether or not it belongs in the games altogether.
Naturally, there would be a huge public backlash if the proposal started to get some serious momentum. There would be claims of promoting apathy and glorifying inactive lifestyles - the whole situation could potentially be counter-effective.

The other point I would be a little hazy on is whether competitive gamers want Starcraft to be an Olympic sport. After all, the article is an interview a man who straight-away admits that he's never been a competitive gamer. Perhaps some of our residents pros could shed some light on their opinions.



TL;DR - Starcraft as an Olympic sport is an interesting suggestion. I personally am neither for nor against it due to the reasons listed above.