Esports received a huge boost from the Indian government on Tuesday when it was incorporated into the nation's mainstream sports disciplines.
Droupadi Murmu, the President of India, amended the regulations governing eSports in accordance with the authority "conferred by clause (3) of article 77 of the Constitution" and requested that "e-Sports be included as part of multi-sports events" from the Ministries of Electronics and Information Technology and Sports.
After being added to the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta as a demonstration sport, which meant that medals earned in the sport were not included in the official total of medals, there had been an increase in the desire for Esports to be included in the curriculum of multi-discipline competitions.
However, the President's announcement on December 23 that the IT Ministry would be the focal point for issues relating to online gaming and that the Sports Ministry would be required to integrate it into its curricula has given Esports fans a boost.
With Singapore slated to host the first Olympic Esports Week in June of next year, the International Olympic Association (IOC) is also making a huge push to popularise e-Sport.
This is a significant step forward in encouraging the growth and inclusion of virtual sports in the Olympic movement and in further interacting with competitive gamers.
