Esports competitions are to feature as a test event in this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, organisers announced.
The Commonwealth Esports Championships will be separate from the main games as a test event but could be the first steps to full inclusion in the next games, four years down the road.
It is also unclear at this stage the size and scale of the competition but expect to see esports organisations like Guild Esports, backed by David Beckham, and Semper Fortis, who have Harry Maguire as an ambassador, feature in Birmingham this summer.
Commonwealth Games federation president Dame Louise Martin said, “Esports is continuing to grow dramatically in terms of popularity and participation particularly among young people, and we are continuing to look at ways to explore how it can align with the Commonwealth sports movement.”
“This allows us to review the long-term relationship between the Commonwealth Games and esports as we continue to evolve and explore future editions of our event and what they could look like.”