Today, the International Olympic Committee announced that Rick Fox, owner of Echo Fox and former NBA player, will moderate the esports forum in Lausanne. Rick Fox is one of the best representatives as he has the knowledge of the current esports scene and traditional sports. On top of those credentials, his mother also competed in the 1964 Olympics for high jump and pentathlon.

The forum’s purpose is not to add esports to the Olympics, but to attempt to engage the communities first, according to IOC sports director Kit McConnell. In order to establish esports in the olympics, the genre must have a unifying body that is necessary to enter the olympics. The IOC invited many organizations including the president of Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF), the Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, and the VP of the Sports Federation, and the International Electronic Sports Federation.

The hope of the summit is to create a path for esports to enter the Olympics and in doing so, introduce the entire world to the seriousness and competitiveness it brings. The Paris Olympic Games in 2024 seems to be the soonest olympic competition where esports could enter. The European Union also has one of the largest fan bases for esports. EU boasts the largest daily unique player base for League of Legends and has already integrated the culture throughout many of the countries. The future looks bright for esports and opportunity keeps knocking and the Olympics seem to be next.