For those who want to crown their Fortnite skills with a glorious Olympic victory, we have good news. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has added Fortnite to its Olympic Esports Finals series.
A dozen players from the Fortnite Championship Series will participate in an International Shooting Sports Federation-sponsored sniping competition on a special Fortnite Creative Island. This competition won’t be a battle to be the last survivor or show off in-game building skills, but it will give you the chance to see some of the world’s best virtual sports shooters in action.
The IOC has also launched ticket sales for Olympic Esports Week, which focuses on the first in-person finals of the 2023 competition series. For those who can travel to Singapore between June 22 and June 25, a one-day entry will cost SGD 10 (about $7.50) or SGD 20 ($15) for a three-day contest starting June 23. Fortnite sports marksman matches will take place on June 24. Events can be watched on Olympics.com or the Olympics’ social media channels.
The Olympic Esports Series featured nine games that roughly align with real-world sports run by international federations. These games include Just Dance, Gran Turismo races, Zwift biking and even web chess. This series will be the continuation of the 2021 Virtual Olympic Series, which covers five digital sports. The IOC sees this as part of a wider effort to promote esports and connect with the video game community.
The addition of a Fortnite island seems appropriate, with the committee’s esports goals to offer a “peaceful competition” as its physical equivalent. It looks like Counter-Strike 2 or League of Legends still won’t make it to the Olympics, but the fact that Fortnite is clearly the most popular game in the Esports Series may attract viewers who would rather follow the “traditional” esports tournaments than the Olympics.
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