The Global Esports Federation (GEF) hopes to "become 'the voice and authority for the worldwide esports movement,'" after the IOC "encouraged sports federations to 'consider how to govern electronic and virtual forms of their sport,' and to 'explore opportunities with game publishers,"' according to Graham Ashton of the ESPORTS OBSERVER. The GEF is "focused on regulation, hoping to introduce international standards commonplace in traditional sports." These would include an "athlete/player commission, anti-doping and fair play practices, and individual national federations." But GEF is "not the first group pursuing the mantle" of esports; the Int'l eSports Federation (IeSF) and the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) also exist in the space. All three organizations "boast leadership with considerable influence in sports politics." GEF has "lined its board with other leaders and high-ranking members from the sports world." Despite GEF's influence, the difficulty in regulating esports "may be less to do with gaming as digital entertainment, and more what sports became during the 20th century," as Esports remains "largely decentralized." GEF Founding President and Singapore National Olympic Council Secretary General Chris Chan said that the organization's "ultimate goal was to be included in the sports program of the Olympic games." Chang "drew a comparison to extreme sports, such as skateboarding, which he said were misunderstood when they first gained prominence" (ESPORTSOBSERVER.com, 2/14).
