Online video game 'Fortnite' now an Olympic esport

SAN FRANCISCO: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has added the popular online video game 'Fortnite' to the Olympic Esports Finals lineup.

The inaugural Olympic Esports Week is a four-day festival of virtual sports and gaming created by the IOC and hosted in Singapore.

A dozen Fortnite Champion Series players will compete in a sharpshooting competition supported by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) on a special Fortnite Creative Island.

"The ISSF's sport shooting island created in Fortnite has been added to the Olympic Esports Finals line-up. The event will see 12 players from the 2023 Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS) invited to compete on the global stage," said the International Olympic Committee.

The Olympic Esports Series already includes nine games that correspond to real-world sports managed by international federations. Just Dance, Gran Turismo racing, Zwift cycling, and even web chess are among the games available. Also, it's a follow-up to the 2021 Olympic Virtual Series, which featured five digital sports.

Moreover, the International Olympic Committee sees this as part of a larger effort to promote esports and connect with the video game community.

The IOC has opened up ticket sales for the Olympic Esports Week, which centres on the first in-person finals of the 2023 competition series.

The event is taking place in Singapore's Suntec Centre from June 22 to 25, 2023, and the ticket will cost 10 SGD (about $7.50) to attend one day or 20 SGD (about $15) for the three days of competition.

The Fortnite sport shooting matches will take place on June 24.