E-sports will be included as a pilot event at this year's Community Games in Birmingham. The introductory e-sports championship within the Games will have independent branding, medals and organization. The Community Games are a kind of Olympics, organized every 4 years by the Commonwealth of Nations, said Milen Ganev, a partner in the Bulgarian software company "E-CARD", which is in the top 50 of Europe. The multi-sporting event has been held since 1930 and includes athletes with disabilities as equal members of national teams. Within the Community Games Federation, it is hoped that e-sports can become part of the full program until the 2026 Games.
Exploring the possibilities for the inclusion of e-sports is one of the recommendations outlined in the strategic roadmap of the organizers. Despite the opposition of some traditionalists in sports, others believe that such a move is necessary to engage the younger audience, Ganev explained.
"E-sports continue to grow dramatically in terms of popularity and participation, especially among young people, and we continue to look for ways to explore how this phenomenon can be brought into line with the Community Games Sports Movement," said the president of the organization. CGF committee Dame Louise Martin.
In December, CGF's new chief executive, Katie Sadler, told the BBC she was "open" to including e-sports in the event. She stated that the Games could undergo a "dramatic change" by the middle of the next decade.
Future hosts will be given more flexibility in the sports they include, with only athletics and swimming remaining mandatory under the new plan.