The IOC said on Friday that it "wants to further streamline the bidding procedure for Summer and Winter Games," ensuring only the most viable cities -- ideally two -- reach the final voting stage. Following a two-day meeting of the exec board, IOC President Thomas Bach said that weightlifting and boxing "could still be kicked out of future Games and that there was probably a long way still to go before esports would be part of the Olympics" (REUTERS, 7/20).
China National Petroleum Corp. and China Petrochemical Corp. (Sinopec Group) signed deals to become official oil & gas partners of the 2022 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The two will share marketing rights in the oil and gas category (XINHUA, 7/20).
Key figures across the esports, gaming, traditional sports and Olympic communities "discussed collaboration opportunities across multiple panels at the esports forum" in Lausanne, Switzerland, over the weekend. Hosted by the IOC and the Global Association of Int'l Sports Federations at the Olympic Museum, the event was moderated by former NBA player and esports franchise owner Rick Fox. 150 stakeholders "across all industries" attended (THE ESPORTS OBSERVER, 7/21).
