IOC President Thomas Bach said that the Olympics "wants to attract a younger audience" but would embrace esports "only on the grounds that they did not feature violence," according to Sidney Leng of the SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST. Bach said that the Games had "welcomed several new sports that are popular with millennials," but on esports, "despite their stellar rise, it would have to proceed with caution." Bach: "We want to promote non-discrimination, non-violence and peace among people. This doesn’t match with video games, which are about violence, explosions and killing. And there we have to draw a clear line." Bach said that esports that mirror those played in real life -- like football or basketball -- "could be considered for the Olympics." Paris '24 "has not ruled out the possibility" of including esports as a medal event. However, Bach said that it was "still too early to say." He added that one of his "major concerns was the lack of industry regulators" to ensure video game players follow standardized rules (SCMP.com, 8/28).
