Olympics Committee Doesn’t Want Violent Video Games, Forgets Violent Sports are Already in Olympics

Early in August word surfaced that Paris is looking to have video games added to the event roster for the 2024 Olympic games in Paris. Esports aren’t sports in the purest sense of the word, but esports has a massive following and the addition could help the Olympics get out of the ratings slump that it has endured the last several years. The catch is that the International Olympic Committee has said it wants nothing to do with violent video games.

IOC President Thomas Bach said, “We want to promote non-discrimination, non-violence, and peace among people. This doesnt match with video games, which are about violence, explosions and killing. And there we have to draw a clear line.”

I find that a very interesting statement considering all the sports that competitors in the Olympics compete in, and have for many, many years, that are actually violent. Things like Judo, fencing, boxing, wrestling, and various shooting sports. Judo after all is the art of hitting someone with a planet and fencing is at its core the art of pretending to stab someone to death. All you need to do is watch a UFC match to know that wrestling can be very violent.

What this means is that FPS titles like Counter-Strike won’t be coming to the Olympics and neither will fighting games like Street Fighter V, despite the fact that actual fighting is in the Olympics had has been from the outset of the games. The only games that have a chance to make it aren’t the ones that draw the massive crowds and would include things like FIFA soccer game and NBA basketball games. I’m not sure those games will get the crowds or support from younger esports fans that the Olympics needs.