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TOKYO. — When athletes marched around the stadium for the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, they were accompanied by an unexpected soundtrack.

Prior to this year’s Games, was the Olympic Virtual Series, in which players participated in five sports simulation Games.

These were not medal-winning competitions, but showed inching games close to the world’s largest sporting event.

One day, you may see a competitive video game at the Olympics.

Formal large-scale video game competitions, or esports, have existed since the 1980s and have been pursuing legitimacy ever since.

South Korea and China recognised them as official sports in the early 2000s.

In 2013, the US government began offering sports visas to esports professionals.

And in 2016, Norwegian schools began incorporating esports instruction as part of their curriculum.

Throughout the 2010s, esports was specialised and full-time teams were formed with a focus on combat, shooting, cards and strategy games. Their tournaments today pay up to US$30 million in prize money and can fill a huge arena with spectators.

Industry analyst Newzoo says esports revenue could be US$1 billion, by the end of 2021, a 15% surge from last year.

Still, popularity is not enough reason for esports to participate in the Olympics.

Although it fits most IOCs criteria for inclusion, there is a fundamental controversial bone, as many countries have Leagues of Nations and practitioners.

Is esports physical enough to be considered a sport?

Competitive play demands a lot from the player’s body, professionals develop and reach ultra-fast reaction speeds.

Not all Olympic sports require the best physical fitness.

Consider dressage and shooting, still, it’s understandable that critics feel that video games are an active lifestyle antithesis that exists to promote the Olympics.

There are compelling reasons to welcome esports to both Olympics.

Participation in the Olympics provides more legitimacy for esports — while global acceptance is gaining momentum, there are still setbacks such as Tsuchida 2 Tournament Internationals sudden movement from Stockholm to Bucharest this year, after the Swedish Sports Federation, decided not to allow esports.

At the Olympic Games, which is plagued by declining TV ratings and aging viewers, esports can attract a significant number of young viewers.

The new Olympic sports included this year, such as skateboarding, surfing and mountaineering, seem to have been deliberately selected to appeal to younger audiences, but these are barely reachable.

Esports is predominant, and the IOC seem to be beginning to recognise that esports may need more than it does the Olympics.

However, there are significant obstacles to adding esports to the Olympics.

Unlike physical sports, video games revolve around the intellectual property owned by the developer.

That is, the IOC do not have full control over presenting and programming esports as it does at other events.

Also, esports is not accessible to casual viewers.

As a new field, esports is not as comprehensively regulated as physical sports.

While the community is still developing protocols, to handle doping and fraud, the esports community must consider harassment and seriously.

The continued flirting of the IOC indicates that these issues are not considered unsolvable.

Perhaps, a wise solution to avoid the inevitable debate, over the video games involved in the Summer Olympics, is for the IOC to create a new ceremony dedicated to the game.

For those, who see this as a break from tradition, it is worth remembering that the Olympics are not a traditional institution.

The Olympic Games are the latest imitation of ancient Greek rituals that are fundamentally modern and constantly evolving.

Perhaps, it’s not too strange to imagine that tomorrow’s wreath might be made of pixels instead of laurels.

The Olympics needs esports more than esports need the Olympics — Financial Times.