SINGAPORE, 23 June 2023 – The curtains to the inaugural Olympic Esports Week 2023 were officially
raised yesterday evening, following a spectacular Opening Ceremony which used innovative
technologies to celebrate a collaboration of the physical and virtual worlds. The event was officially
declared open by co-Guest of Honour Her Excellency Halimah Yacob, President of the Republic of
Singapore, who gave a virtual address at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre.
Approximately 1,000 invited guests attended the opening ceremony, including:
- Mr Ng Ser Miang, Vice President, International Olympic Committee
- Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, President, Singapore National Olympic Council
- Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Second Minister for Law
- Mr Alvin Tan, Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of
Trade and Industry - Ms Li Lingwei, Member of the International Olympic Committee and Member of the
Olympic Council of Asia - Dr Karl Stoss, Member of the International Olympic Committee
The Olympic Movement came together in Singapore to celebrate the start of the first Olympic Esports
Week – IOC’s festival of virtual sports and gaming – which is taking place at the Suntec Singapore
Convention & Exhibition Centre over the next three days. It is created in partnership with the Ministry
of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), Sport Singapore (SportSG), and the Singapore National
Olympic Council (SNOC).
In a message delivered via hologram at the Opening Ceremony, co-Guest of Honour IOC President
Thomas Bach welcomed the players: “The next days will be a time to make history – a celebration of
the best of virtual sport and esports – a time for the players to showcase their excellence and their
passion for sport. To all the players: now is your moment to shine. Always compete in the spirit of
excellence, respect and fair-play. Because being a true champion is about so much more than
winning.”
President Bach also thanked Singapore for hosting the Olympic Esports Week: “My heartfelt thanks
and congratulations go to the Organising Committee, the Singapore public authorities, and to the
Singapore National Olympic Council for their great support to prepare the stage in such an excellent
way for the players.”
The official Opening Ceremony brought together the physical and virtual worlds, and celebrated
inclusivity and diversity. Led by Creative Director Beatrice Chia-Richmond, highlights included a
performance by Singapore musicians ShiGGa Shay and Aisyah Aziz, and a specially curated spoken
word poem written by Adam Tie, and performed by Gosteloa Spancer accompanied by a sign
language performance by deaf performer Faaiqah. Innovative technologies were deployed across
holographic projection technology, laser projection mapping, and automation to create a magical
show that married the physical and digital worlds.
Each of the 10 unique events in the Olympic Esports Series – the thrilling live finals action of which
will be a highlight of the Olympic Esports Week – was introduced through a series of innovative
displays representing the virtual form of its sport, including archery, baseball, chess, cycling, dance,
shooting, motor sports, taekwondo, and tennis.
Ng Ser Miang, IOC Vice President, said: “Thank you for giving Singapore another great opportunity to
co-create a stunning event with IOC after the Inaugural Youth Olympic Games Singapore 2010.
Singapore is a country with one of the best technology and innovation eco systems, and we are
honoured to be at the centre once again of such an innovative event and exciting milestone in the
Olympic Esports Week, helping to bridge the gap between sports, esports and games.”
The IOC’s 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 IOC 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.
131 finalists, including 18 from Singapore, will be competing on the global stage over three days
starting today (23 June) in front of fans, for Gold, Silver and Bronze Olympic Esports Series 2023
trophies. All the thrilling live action will be streamed on Olympics.com.
An overview of the Olympic Esports Series 2023 schedule is as follows.
23 June
11:00am to 1:00pm Cycling (UCI, Zwift)
1:15pm to 3:15pm Archery (World Archery Federation, Tic Tac Bow)
5:30pm to 7:30pm Sailing (World Sailing, Virtual Regatta)
7:45pm to 9:45pm Dance (World DanceSports Federation, JustDance)
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)
25 June
12:00pm to 1:30pm Motorsport (Federation Internationale Automobile, Gran Turismo)
3:30pm to 5:30pm Taekwondo (World Taekwondo, Virtual Taekwondo)
In addition to the Olympic Esports Series, a number of exhibition matches are also set to take place,
giving the opportunity to watch some of the world’s best esports players and teams showcase their
skills – across popular games titles including Rocket League, NBA2K and Street Fighter.
Those attending the event will also get to experience the latest virtual sports, gaming and esports
innovations, in a specially built free-to-play zone. Ahead of the Opening Ceremony, industry experts
were invited to share insights and ideas in the Olympic Esports Week Forum at the Raffles City
Convention Centre. Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth & Trade and Industry Alvin
Tan attended the Forum where he joined a panel discussion on Singapore’s position as a future hub
in the global esports landscape. Other topics discussed throughout the afternoon included player
welfare, diversity and inclusion.
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. Three-day
passes are available from S$20, ensuring that more can witness the making of history and enjoy the
epic competitions between some of the world’s best players. 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.
Photo credit to Olympic Esports Week 2023 Local Organising Committee.