The organizers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games move everything to arouse interest in the event that will take place this year. After being postponed last year due to the pandemic, the competition has had all kinds of obstacles and does not have popular support for it to be carried out due to the fear that still exists of infections.
For the aforementioned reasons, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the realization of a virtual tournament in which the inclusion of motor sport with simracing was pleasantly surprised.
The organization has worked with the different sports federations of the disciplines summoned to make the innovative idea a reality, and give a prelude to the games so that fans can look back at Tokyo 2020 with emotion.
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The news represents a historic event for motorsports, which has been very close to being part of the Olympic fair, but which in the end has not made its appearance on the important stage of world sport.
Alliance between the IOC and the FIA
To bring simracing to the virtual Olympics, the IOC worked hard and reached an agreement with the International Automobile Federation (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, FIA), Gran Turismo and Polyphony Digital, the company in charge of developing the video games.
The IOC noted that each discipline will ensure a format that accelerates mass participation online, and Virtual Games are expected to add new audiences.
The president of the International Olympic Committee, Tomas Bach, said that ” The Olympic Virtual Series is a new, unique Olympic digital experience that aims to grow direct engagement with new audiences in the field of virtual sports.”
“Its conception is in line with Olympic Agenda 2020+5 and the IOC’s Digital Strategy. It encourages sports participation and promotes the Olympic values, with a special focus on youth, “he explained.
From Gran Turismo, its creator, Kazunori Yamauchi, has emphasized on several occasions that the growth of simulation racing is essential to help the survival of the motor world.
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“It is something we have to do to ensure the survival of motorsports in the future,” he said. “This activity, all the different things that we are doing, is something that is necessary to keep it going.”
No further details on the format of the Gran Turismo competition have been announced yet, but the FIA has long been involved in the Nations Cup and the Manufacturers Series of the PlayStation video game.
The Olympic Virtual Series will be the first Olympic-licensed event for physical and virtual sports. Baseball, cycling, rowing and sailing will participate. The Championship will be held before the Tokyo Olympics, between May 13 and June 23.
Written by I Jhonattan González
