Impact in the esports world: Fortnite is Olympic

In times of revolutionary growth and growing opportunities for e-sports, the IOC granted Olympic status to Fortnite by including it in the list of disciplines that make up the Olympic Series, whose finals will take place in the first Olympic Week in history, to be held in Singapore between June 22 and 25 of this year.

The popular video game developed by Epic Games will be present with characteristics different from that of the traditional battle royale. In a version far from the standard one, under the wing of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF), participants will not face each other in a battle that involves excessive aggression with firearms, but will instead put their marksmanship and precision skills into play in the same way as a sports shooter. In other words, it will be the virtual sports shooting event.

12 will be the invited professional players who will seek consecration on “a special island of the International Shooting Sports Federation” at the Suntec Center in Singapore on Saturday, June 24, according to the IOC. The requirement is that the competitors have participated in the Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS), the most demanding and prestigious circuit.

The inclusion of Fortnite as shooting increased the total number of events that make up the Olympic E-Sports Series to 10 and is in addition to archery (Tic Tac Bow), baseball (WBSC eBaseball™: Power Pros), chess (Chess.com), cycling (Zwift), sports dancing (Just Dance), motorsport (Gran Turismo 7), sailing (Virtual Regatta), taekwondo (Virtual Taekwondo) and tennis (Tennis Clash).

Last Friday, the IOC, together with the Singapore National Olympic Committee (SNOC), launched ticket sales for the inaugural edition of the Olympic Esports Week. Prices for adults will be between 7.50 and 11.50 US dollars (10 to 15 Singapore dollars) with the possibility of purchasing three-day packages for about 15 USD (20 SGD). Students will pay about 3.75 USD (5 SGD).