Parents who try to reduce the time their children spend playing computer games could soon face the excuse: “I’m training for the Olympics.”
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is considering an application to include professional video gaming, or e-sports, a £400m-a-year industry with more than 130m fans, in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
E-sports involves players sitting at rows of computers to play against each other, often in front of thousands of spectators.
The IOC confirmed that it was considering a bid from the International e-Sports Federation, but said it was “unable to provide further details at this stage”.
An e-sports tournament called “eGames”, which is backed by the British government, is scheduled to take place alongside the Rio Olympics this summer.