The second edition of the International Olympic Committee’s virtual sports competition, and the first edition of Olympic Esports Week, is starting its final stretch of matches on June 22. Here is everything you need to know about how to watch the first Olympic esports event.
The first Olympic Esports Week is upon us as players across 10 titles compete for Olympic glory. The festival is set to take place at the Suntec Centre in Singapore from June 23-25. Participants started their journeys by competing in their respective tournaments starting back in March.
The very first Olympic esports event will feature multiple exhibition matches with professional esports teams, and the final stretch of matches for the nine competitive titles the committee has chosen to showcase.
The 131 finalists will compete for a shot at gold, silver and bronze Olympic Esports Series 2023 trophies.
This event has not gone on without controversy, however, as its announcement was met with harsh criticism from the esports community over its lack of representation for titles that have defined esports like League of Legends and Counter-Strike.
Here is everything you need to know for the event.
Olympic Esports Week 2023: How to watch
The exhibition matches and competitive finals will not be streamed on Twitch or YouTube. Viewers will instead have to navigate to the official Olympics website and find the esports tab.
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The matches will be streamed on the Olympics’ own platform and start at the times listed later in the article.
Olympic Esports Week 2023: Games
The 10 titles featured in the Olympics showcase are not your typical esports. They closely mirror physical sports, like cycling or archery. The exhibition matches, however, will feature some titles that esports fans are more accustomed to.
The Olympic Esports Week 2023 games are:
- Zwift
- Tic Tac Bow
- Virtual Regatta
- Just Dance
- WBSC eBASEBALL: POWER PROS
- Chess
- Tennis Clash
- ISSF Challenge featuring Fortnite
- Gran Turismo
- Virtual Taekwondo
The Olympic Esports Week 2023 exhibition match games are:
- Rocket League
- eFIBA exhibition on NBA2K23
- Street Fighter 6
- Virtual Table Tennis
- Arena Games Triathlon
Olympic Esports Week 2023: Schedule
Chess, in dance form ♟️#OlympicEsportsWeek pic.twitter.com/fgJCkv953a
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) June 22, 2023
The event will start on June 23 with both exhibitions and main stage matches. The final slate of matches is set for June 25.
Here is the full schedule for the Olympic Esports Week 2023. All times are in EST.
June 23
- Zwift Finals: 11 p.m.
- Tic Tac Bow Finals: 1:15 a.m.
- Rocket League Exhibition: 2:30 a.m.
- Virtual Regatta Finals: 5:30 a.m.
- Just Dance Finals: 7:45 a.m.
June 24
- WBSC eBASEBALL: POWER PROS Finals: 11:45 p.m.
- VR ELeven Exhibition: 2 a.m.
- Chess Finals: 3:25 a.m.
- Tennis Clash Finals: 5:50 a.m.
- ISSF Challenge featuring Fortnite Finals: 7:45 a.m.
June 25
- Arena Games Triathlon Exhibition: 10 p.m.
- Gran Turismo Finals: 12 a.m.
- Street Fighter 6 Exhibition: 1:45 a.m.
- Virtual Taekwondo Finals: 3:30 a.m.
- eFIBA Exhibition on NBA2K: 5:45 a.m.