The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has added Fortnite as part of the Olympic Esports Week gaming lineup, which will take place at Singapore’s Suntec Centre from June 22 to 25.
Epic Games’ battle royale joins the list of games over two months after the committee came up with a lineup that didn’t include any esports titles whatsoever. It’s not exactly what it seems though, as competitors won’t really be playing Fortnite the way we know it.
“The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)’s sport shooting island created in Fortnite has been added to the Olympic Esports Finals lineup,” the International Olympic Committee’s announcement reads. “The event will see 12 players from the 2023 Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS) invited to compete on the global stage. A specially designed Fortnite Creative Island, made to reflect sport shooting competition, will put the target-aiming accuracy of sharpshooters to the test and see them navigate the in-game environment as they compete to become an Olympic Esports Series winner. All the thrilling finals action will be streamed globally across Olympics.com and Olympic social channels.”
So it seems like what will actually be happening is competitors will be shooting at targets in Fortnite, rather than playing the battle royale mode and fighting for that victory royale likely they usually do.
This is likely because the ISSF does not consider a regular Fortnite match a real sport, which is what the Olympic Esports Week is all about. All of the nine other games are essentially sports simulators because the primary goal of the IOC is to promote the “development of virtual and simulated sports games”, according to an interview published by Polygon in March 2023.
“When considering these proposals, it is important to us that the featured games in the Olympic Esports Series align with the Olympic Values,” the IOC told Polygon in March. “This includes participation inclusivity, such as technical barriers to entry, the gender split of player base, and avoiding any personal violence, against the backdrop of the IOC’s mission which is to unite the world in peaceful competition.”
The tickets for the Olympic Esports Week are available for purchase and fans will get to watch archery, cycling, dancing, and sailing on June 23, baseball, taekwondo, sport shooting, and tennis on June 24, and motorsports and chess on June 25.
The list of games featured at the Olympic Esports Week looks as follows with the addition of Fortnite:
- Sport shooting – International Shooting Sport Federation – Fortnite
- Archery – World Archery Federation – Tic Tac Bow
- Baseball – World Baseball Softball Confederation – WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS
- Chess – International Chess Federation – Chess.com
- Cycling – UCI – Zwift
- Dance – World DanceSport Federation – JustDance
- Motorsport – Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile – Gran Turismo
- Sailing – World Sailing – Virtual Regatta
- Taekwondo – World Taekwondo – Virtual Taekwondo
- Tennis – International Tennis Federation – Tennis Clash
