Indications suggest that cycling esports will play a prominent role in the 2025 Olympic Esports Games, and the stakeholders must begin preparing now.
On July 23, 2024, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made history, potentially skyrocketing the trajectory of cycling esports’ evolution by unanimously ratifying the IOC Executive Board’s proposal to create Olympic Esports Games. The IOC partnered with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia to host the newly formed stand-alone games alongside the traditional Olympic program for the next twelve years.
IOC President Thomas Bach said, “This is truly a new era for the IOC. With the confirmation by the IOC Session of the creation of the Olympic Esports Games, we are keeping up with the pace of the digital revolution. The esports community, represented in our Esports Commission, has enthusiastically engaged with this initiative.”
IOC Saw Cycling Esports’ Potential Early On
Since 2018, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been engaging with esports to enhance the attractiveness of the Olympic brand and values to the next generation. The IOC recognized the potential of cycling esports early in this initiative.
In 2021, the IOC launched the Olympic Virtual Series, which included physical virtual sports, such as cycling on the Zwift virtual platform, rowing, baseball-softball, sailing, and motorsports, aimed at appealing to a broader age demographic.
In 2023, the Olympic Esports Series (OES) attracted 131 players from 64 countries, who participated in the live finals in Singapore following qualification events that hosted over 550,000 unique participants. The cycling esports competition contested on Zwift was one of ten sports showcased, which received 20.9 million engagements on Olympic social media channels.
When announcing the OES, IOC President Thomas Bach said, “Our approach to e-sports is with a priority to virtual sports, meaning reality sports, where there is physical activity, [like] cycling.”
It’s no coincidence that the IOC featured images of cycling esports athletes on stage during the OES in Singapore and statistics emphasizing the event’s engagement atop a recent press release announcing the organization’s 2023 annual report and financial statements.
Bach emphasized the connection to physical sports, explaining, “This is where we are closest to because the physical activity of these athletes is on the same level as athletes in traditional sports. Whether you’re doing a leg of the Tour de France on your bicycle at home, or you do the real leg, the physical activity is the same and the challenges.”
Following the event’s success, at the 141st IOC Session in Mumbai, India, in October 2023, the IOC President asked the newly-formed IOC Esports Commission to explore the creation of the Olympic Esports Games. Under the leadership of IOC Member David Lappartient, the Commission developed a project that aligns with the interests of the esports community while upholding Olympic values.
UCI and IOC Have Strong Ties To Cycling Esports
Lappartient is president of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world governing body of cycling, and has been the head of the IOC’s Esports and Gaming Liaison group since 2017. In a January interview in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Lappartient disclosed news of the Olympic Esports Games to The Zommunique’, which Cycling Weekly initially reported.
“The Olympic Esports Games will start in 2025 and will include cycling esports,” revealed Lappartient. “The program will include gaming, sports simulation, and physical virtual activities and will be a distinct Olympic Esports Games.”
The UCI and IOC responded to inquiries about the status of cycling esports in the upcoming OEGs by stating that they could not provide detailed information due to the fluidity of the situation. However, while federations are unable to confirm, a source close to the situation says that the stand-alone games will offer medal status and the full complement of Olympic distinctions to the athletes.
Dr. Andrew Richardson, an esports researcher from Newcastle University, echoed Lappartient’s sentiments during a recent interview with The Virtual Velo Podcast.
“I see cycling esports as one of the premier sports, if not the premier sport, because it represents the Olympic values very well. It’s a virtual sport that replicates an actual Olympic sport.”
Work will kick off immediately to set up the first Olympic Esports Games, including choosing the host city and venue and selecting the games and sports.
“The door is open explicitly for virtual forms. Where there is a full physical replication of the traditional sport,” said IOC’s Sport Director Kit McConnell in a November 2023 Daily Mail interview.
“It’s something that we’re looking to move forward with, and it’s more a question of “how” rather than “if.””
McConnell’s comments indicate virtual cycling is poised to be the “how.”
“The best example is the road cycling partnership between the UCI and Zwift, and now that’s moved to another partnership (MyWhoosh). We are committed to developing the virtual side of sport.”
MyWhoosh Positioned to Be Host Virtual Platform For Olympics—in 2 Sports?
The UCI has granted MyWhoosh, a technology company based in the United Arab Emirates, the rights to organize the Esports World Championships for three years starting in 2024. This decision shifts the event’s organization away from Zwift, where it originated and remained for the first three editions.
Lappartient’s close connections with key industry players might position MyWhoosh as the preferred platform for the OEGs cycling events. This speculation is further supported by the IOC’s long-term commitment to the Saudi Arabian National Olympic Committee (NOC). Additionally, rumors that Saudi Arabia was interested in bidding to host the Cycling Esports World Championship lend credence to this possibility.
MyWhoosh’s Race and Event Manager Matt Smithson said during a recent episode of The Virtual Velo Podcast, “We would love to do the Olympics. We want to be the pinnacle of esports and have ideas about how to engage the audience and the athletes.”
MyWhoosh will host the first-ever live event UCI Cycling Esports World Championship final, in Abu Dhabi in October 2024. Abu Dhabi will also host the non-virtual 2024 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships, the 2028 UCI Road World Championships, the 2028 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, and the 2029 UCI Track World Championships.
According to the announcement on August 13, 2024, a partnership between supertri and MyWhoosh will allow the platform to expand further into the Olympics offerings.
“MyWhoosh becomes the Presenting Partner of supertri E and will help develop the multi-award winning and IOC Olympic Esports Week featured format into the next evolution of its incredible journey. It is also the Official Partner and Virtual Training Partner of supertri, supertri League, supertri E and mass participation events including Chicago Triathlon and Long Beach Legacy Triathlon.”
At the same time, the IOC is setting up a special team within its organization, separate from the traditional Olympic Games, to handle the unique aspects of the Olympic Esports Games, like funding and organization.
“We depend on financial support for our sport to grow and evolve. We are struggling with limited resources and need time, people, and money to expand. We rely on partners and sponsors, which would be easier if we were in the Olympics,” explains the Swedish Cycling Federation’s Chairman of E-cycling, Conny Björnehall.
Federations Follow the Medals and The Money They Attract
Getting Olympic recognition could be a game-changer for the sport, bringing in publicity and resources that would shake things up.
“If esports becomes an Olympic sport, it significantly increases its status in the eyes of USAC. It will increase our efforts and be very helpful to the sport. It’s an absolute game-changer!” USA Cycling’s Chief of Sports Performance, Jim Miller, shared in a 2023 interview with The Zommunique’.
Jacqueline Godbe became the first American to step onto the UCI Cycling Esports World Championship podium that year during the event’s third edition.
Why all the excitement? Well, a lot of it comes down to the money. Most of USAC’s funding comes from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
“[The USOPC] are obviously interested in Olympic medals. If the sport is an Olympic discipline, we put more emphasis and fund it at a higher level,” Miller explained.
The focus on funding and awareness explains why athletes, enthusiasts, and federations are pushing for cycling esports to get into the Olympics, but it isn’t the only reason.
The IOC mentioned that it will prioritize partnerships with International Federations that have an electronic version of their sport considered for these games. National Olympic Committees already involved in esports will also have a leg up.
Stakeholders Must Step Up to Ensure Olympic Success
“With cycling esports in the Olympics, the National Olympic Committee will fund our journey toward medals, and the cycling federation will move the sport alongside the other recognized disciplines. It would be a tipping point and raise cycling esports to a new level,” says Martin Wang Hjørngaard, the E-Cycling and Esports Consultant for the Danish Cycling Federation. Denmark is home to the defending World Champion, Bjørn Andreassen.
Denmark has three UCI Cycling Esports World Championship medals, tied with Australia. In addition to Andreassen’s victory, three other Danish riders were among the top ten in 2023 while competing together in person and as a team. Anders Foldager was second, and Nicklas Amdi Pedersen was third in the event’s first edition in 2020.
The Danish and Swedish Federations join a short list that includes AusCycling, Cycling South Africa, Cycling Canada, and a minority of others that support their elite esports athletes with coaching, sponsorships, media presence, and National Team acknowledgment from the beginning.
The 2022 men’s winner was Australian Jay Vine, and the female winner of the first event in 2020 was South African National Champion Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio.
“Cycling esports is going to be the future of cycling, and at some point be in the Olympics, so we need to focus on it,” USA Cycling’s National Events Director Kyle Knott told The Zommunique’ during a recent interview discussing the federation’s plans for the upcoming UCI Cycling Esports World Championships and beyond.
USAC may admit that money makes the turbo go ’round, but the national governing body is among the majority that don’t have an esports national team and marginalizes support for their athletes.
Federations that have established and resourced a dedicated esports division, communicate clearly with their athletes, and actively support the discipline’s development are seeing results.
Don’t Let This Opportunity Go Down The Drain
Cycling esports has a lot riding on Olympic medal recognition. It could be the watershed moment the sport desperately needs. Federations need to recognize and embrace it. If there is a lack of infrastructure and commitment to support a national team, how can federations get prepared to back an Olympic team?
Many unknown and untested issues challenge the development of the sport at all levels, including the role of the UCI. The international federation remains integral in guiding and uniting stakeholders as long as the IOC doesn’t have an alternative for global governance.
Engaged leadership from the UCI is vital for the sustainable progression and Olympic recognition of cycling esports. Appointing a new Head of Esports to fill the void left by Michael Rogers in April 2024 and creating an Esports Commission to stand alongside the recognized disciplines are essential steps forward.
The 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championship on MyWhoosh will be an Olympic-sized dress rehearsal with Bach and Lappartient seated front row. All eyes will be on the live event final in Abu Dhabi on October 26th to see if innovations in technology, race formats, smart trainer homologation, performance verification, and fair-play initiatives will catapult the sport to the level of the other Olympic disciplines.
Will the sport be ready? Now is the time to make sure!
Semi-retired after more than 20 years as the owner and director of a private Orthopedic Physical Therapy practice, Chris now enjoys the freedom to dedicate himself to his passions—virtual cycling and writing.
Driven to give back to the sport that has enriched his life with countless experiences and relationships, he founded a non-profit organization, TheDIRTDadFund. In the summer of 2022, he rode 3,900 miles from San Francisco to his “Gain Cave” on Long Island, New York, raising support for his charity.
His passion for cycling shines through in his writing, which has been featured in prominent publications like Cycling Weekly, Cycling News, road.cc, Zwift Insider, Endurance.biz, and Bicycling. In 2024, he was on-site in Abu Dhabi, covering the first live, in-person UCI Cycling Esports World Championship.
His contributions to cycling esports have not gone unnoticed, with his work cited in multiple research papers exploring this evolving discipline. He sits alongside esteemed esports scientists as a member of the Virtual Sports Research Network and contributes to groundbreaking research exploring the new frontier of virtual physical sport. Chris co-hosts The Virtual Velo Podcast, too.
