The European Olympic Committees (EOC) has announced that the inaugural Esports Championships will be held from 30 June to 2 July 2023 during the European Games Kraków-Małopolska 2023, further boosting the event’s appeal for young fans across Europe.
The inaugural Championships will be held in the International Congress Center in Katowice, Poland, and see esports athletes and teams from across Europe compete in two top esports titles: eFootball™ 2023 and Rocket League. The two titles have been selected based on their huge popularity and alignment with the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) esports policy as non-violent and sport centred games.
EOC President Spyros Capralos said: “We are delighted to announce the Esports Championships which is a fantastic addition to the European Games line-up. The addition of esports to the Games underscores the progressive vision of the diversity and inclusivity of the sports world, highlighting the common ground they share in terms of dedication, strategy, and the pursuit of excellence.
“We are delighted to collaborate with the Global Esports Federation on this the first of many planned initiatives. The Esports Championship will add a whole new dimension of entertainment to this celebration of European sport.”
The esports athletes will compete in parallel with the 7,000 athletes representing 48 countries at the third edition of the European Games. eFootball™ 2023 and Rocket League will feature Open and Women Categories at the Esports Championships to ensure the competitions are as inclusive as possible and provide opportunities for esports athletes from across the continent to compete for glory.
European Games 2023 Coordination Commisson Chair Hasan Arat said: “This Esports Championships, featuring eFootball 2023 and Rocket League, offers a fantastic opportunity to open the European Games to a new audience and enables us to spread Olympism throughout our continent. We are always looking at how we can make the European Games more attractive and more relevant and tapping into the global popularity of esports is an excellent way to do that.”President of the Global Esport Federation (GEF) Chris Chan commented: “We are delighted to see the esports in this prestigious event as the European Games. The #EGE23 is a significant milestone in the development of esports in Europe. It’s a joyful celebration of youth, esports, and sport all together,” In addition to the esports competitions, the #EGE23 will feature the GEFestival – a celebration of esports’ inclusive culture, games, music, and entertainment – and GEFcon, a global convention of thought leaders and idea creators in business, esports, sport, and technology on an international stage for sharing and learning.
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About the European Games
The third edition of the European Games will take place between 21 June and 2 July 2023. There will be 26 sports played during the games with 18 Olympic and eight non-Olympic sports scheduled and more than 7,000 athletes expected to take part. Kraków will be the main hub of the Games with 11 different towns and cities hosting sports in a variety of different venues.
