Feature Image: (L-R) Marlene Bjärehed, James Barnes, Lou Bates, Martin Maertens of Team Fuego won the cycling event to be crowned the first Olympic Esports Series 2023 winners. Photo credit: IOC/Lionel Ng
The first winners of the Olympic Esports Series 2023 were crowned on Friday (23 June), with Team Fuego earning that honour after triumphing in the Cycling finals at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre. The inaugural Olympic Esports Week, which officially started on 22 June, got off to a thrilling start with three other winners crowned in the Archery, Sailing and Dance events of the Olympic Esports Series finals.
The winners on the first day of the Olympic Esports Series 2023 finals are as follows:
| Sport | Winner |
| Cycling (UCI, Zwift) | Team Fuego:· Lou Bates from Great Britain· Marlene Bjärehead from Sweden· James Barnes from South Africa· Martin Maertens from Germany |
| Archery (World Archery Federation, Tic Tac Bow) | Jared Michael Montgomery (MontyDey) from USA |
| Sailing (World Sailing, Virtual Regatta) | Tim Carpentier (UOL Pepitõ) from France |
| Dance (World DanceSports Federation, JustDance) | Amandine Morisset (TheFairyDina) from France |
Flash quotes from the winners are available below in Annex A.
The Olympic Esports Series 2023 began in March, when both professional and amateur players across
the world were invited to participate in the virtual sports competition, created by the International
Olympic Committee in collaboration with International Federations (IFs) and game publishers.
Approximately 500,000 players entered qualification rounds with hopes of securing their place in the
first in-person finals of the Olympic Esports Series. A total of 131 players, including 18 from Singapore,
reached the finals. On Friday, archery players Jyan Seow (jyyn.s) and Aidan Wong (Aiko.W) from
Singapore were eliminated in the group stage while dance player Siti Zhywee Ramle was eliminated
in the quarter-finals. Sailing player Colin Ng (North3DL) finished in 11th place.
The battle to be crowned Olympic Esports Series 2023 winners continues on Saturday with Baseball,
Chess, Tennis and Shooting events to be contested. Hosts Singapore will have players in all four
events. All the thrilling live action will be streamed on Olympics.com. The table tennis exhibition
match will also take place on Saturday.
The Olympic Esports Series 2023 schedule for 24 June is as follows.
24 June
11:45am to 1:45pm Baseball (World Baseball Softball Confederation, WBSC eBASEBALLTM:
POWER PROS)
3:15pm to 5:15pm Chess (International Chess Federation, Chess.com)
5:30pm to 7:30pm Tennis (International Tennis Federation, Tennis Clash)
7:45pm to 9:45pm Shooting (International Shooting Sport Federation, Fortnite)
Tickets to the Olympic Esports Week are available for purchase at
https://www.sistic.com.sg/events/olympics0623 with prices starting from S$10 per day. Day passes
for families (two adults and two students1) are also available from S$25. Sport and gaming fans
around the world can follow all the action on Olympics.com and Olympic social media channels from
now till 25 June.
About the Olympic Esports Week
The first-ever Olympic Esports Week will take place from 22-25 June at the Suntec Singapore
Convention & Exhibition Centre. The Olympic Esports Week is a festival of virtual sports and gaming
created by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). One of the highlights is the in-person live
finals of the Olympic Esports Series 2023, a global virtual and simulated sports competition created
by the IOC in collaboration with International Federations and game publishers. The Olympic Esports
Series 2023 will feature games across 10 sports, exhibition matches and a free-to-play zone. Tickets
and the event schedule are available at https://www.sistic.com.sg/events/olympics0623.
Annex A:
Cycling (UCI, Zwift)
Team Fuego, Martin Maertens from Germany
“It’s just insane. Insane. Coming here, I did not believe that we could achieve this win, but the team
was so great and everyone put in a little extra percent to get this title. I have dreamed of (winning an
Olympic event) but I didn’t think I’d have the chance at some point and now, it’s just surreal.”
Archery (World Archery Federation, Tic Tac Bow) Jared Montgomery (MontyDey) from USA
“I am really happy, I put in a lot of hours and it paid off, so I’m happy that I won. I would have been
disappointed if I didn’t, and it’s a relief.
“The experience at the Olympic Esports Series was nerve-racking. I was a little bit shaky at first, but
once I started playing, I was okay. It was so cool. It’s so exciting and it was a lot of fun to play.
“When we were playing qualifiers, we were just in our own home alone, no distractions. There are a
lot of sounds going on here and lights blaring at you. It was distracting, but we got through it. I was
still adjusting to it when I was on stage. My first game was a little shaky. But once I adjusted I was
okay.”
Sailing (World Sailing, Virtual Regatta)
Tim Carpentier (UOL Pepitõ) from France
“It was an amazing experience and I’m very happy with the win. You need to have more concentration
because there’s a lot of things (around you) like cameras, spectators — so you need to focus on the
game and make sure you only yourself in your head and not other people. The most difficult thing
today was not taking penalties and sailing the fair winds. I managed to take good starts and stay far
from the opponents.”
Dance (World DanceSports Federation, JustDance)
Amandine Morisset (TheFairyDina) from France
“This is for all the women that play video games, that play Just Dance. You are capable and you are
worth it. I really want to thank my family, my parents, my brother, my sister-in-law, my lover. You
believed in me all the way when I didn’t believe in myself. My awesome community, my Dinasaurs —
this is for you.
“I want to thank the judges as well because this game is amazing. It changed my life in the most
amazing way and I couldn’t be more proud. This is more than a dream. The competition was so tough.
I feel for all the participants. I know they gave their best in the conditions and I’m just so super happy
for my country as well.”