IF Forum: "Whatever our views on esports, we must go to where young people are" (N. Hoevertsz, IOC)

"Whatever our views are on esports and gaming, the numbers speak for themselves. In 2021, the global gaming live-streaming audience was just around 800 million people, this figure will grow to 1.5 billion spectators next year. If we want to continue to be relevant in the lives of young people, if we want to continue to inspire the next generation with our Olympic values - then we have to go to where the young people are. Therefore, to be 'future-ready' also means: we have to go to esports," said Nicole Hoevertsz (Aruba), first vice-president of the IOC, in her introductory speech at SportAccord 2024, the annual International Federations (IF) Forum, in Lausanne (Vaud, SUI) on 21/10/2024.

The 2024 IF Forum brought together more than 425 delegates from the world of sport, including representatives from more than 120 international bodies, at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne on the theme: "Ensuring your IF is match fit and future-ready" from 21 to 23/10/2024.

"Globally, there are well over 3 billion people familiar with gaming, a figure that continues to grow by the day. We cannot ignore…