Let it be said: the future of the Olympic movement, as it has already been outlined from Lausanne by the IOC, will be digital and electronic. And even a little more than that. It will open the door wide to artificial intelligence.
The refrain is well-known. Thomas Bach has been repeating it tirelessly for several years, inviting international federations to turn towards progress and new technologies. With this formula served up in every sauce in his speeches at the podium: " Change or be changed ».
In Lausanne, where the traditional Forum of International Federations opened on Monday 21 October, Thomas Bach was unable to bring out the notes of his old speeches in front of the 350 delegates of the Olympic movement. He was absent. The IOC President is at the beginning of this week halfway through an African tour that has already taken him to Senegal and South Africa, and will soon take him to Lesotho and then Kenya.
Thomas Bach gave way to the first vice-president of the body, Nicole Hoevertsz (photo above). But in the audience, many believed they recognised in the speech of the former artistic swimmer from Aruba the formulas and ideas of the German leader.
Nicole Hoevertsz spoke about the future, progress, new technologies, artificial intelligence and electronic sports. She outlined to the representatives of international federations a future where humans will have to agree to coexist with digital technology, or even to fade away in the face of its potential and performance.
The IOC reports this in a press release: Nicole Hoevertsz explained that " The Olympic Agenda for AI offered a holistic approach to how the world of sport could harness the potential of AI”. She recalled that " Olympic values were at the heart of this approach, ensuring that AI technology was available to all members of the Olympic community, enabling more people to access sport and supporting athletes in multiple ways.”
The message is clear: the IOC wants to seize the tremendous opportunities promised by artificial intelligence. It invites international federations to follow the movement, without dragging their feet, otherwise they will quickly be left behind.
Another theme of the day, which has also become a staple of Thomas Bach's speeches since last year: e-sport.
Nicole Hoevertsz also remained, on this other ground, in the footsteps of her president. She spoke of the future. She spoke of young people, these gamers whose numbers continue to increase. She hammered home the urgency of going to meet them.
« Whatever our opinion of esports and video games, the numbers speak for themselves.she insisted. There are over three billion gamers in the world, and that number is growing. If in 2021, some 800 million people worldwide were watching live video game streams, next year there will be 1,5 billion. And they are all young people. We cannot ignore these staggering numbers. They send a clear message: if we want to continue to be present in the lives of young people, if we want to continue to inspire the next generation through our Olympic values, we must go where young people are going. That is why, in order to be “ready for tomorrow”, we must also turn to eSports."
It's hard to be more direct. For Thomas Bach, as for Nicole Hoevertsz, international federations can no longer ignore the phenomenon. Otherwise, they will miss the boat.
The first Olympic Games of eSports, announced at the end of 2023 by Thomas Bach as a distant project, are already a reality. Their first edition is to take place next year in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi kingdom has even secured the hosting of the Games for a 12-year lease.
How? When? For whom and with whom? Mystery. But Nicole Hoevertsz confirmed it on Monday in Lausanne: the IOC is setting up a new specialized structure. It will be completely separate from the organizational and financial model of the Olympic Games.
