50-day countdown to first-ever Olympic Esports Week kicks off

The 50-day countdown to the inaugural Olympic Esports Week kicked off with a trailer offering visitors a preview of what to expect at the June 22-25 event. Photo credit: Olympic Esports Week

Visitors in the Bugis area over the weekend caught the first glimpse of the exciting offerings that will be on show at the inaugural Olympic Esports Week (OEW). The start of OEW's community activations also marked the 50-day countdown to the event happening from 22 to 25 June 2023.

A roving trailer showcasing the world of esports and virtual sports made its debut at Bugis+ from 5 to 7 May, giving visitors a much-anticipated preview of what to expect at the inaugural OEW. Members of the public tried their hand at racing simulation game Gran Turismo and show off their moves in JustDance – both titles will be contested in the live finals of the Olympic Esports Series, which takes place during the OEW.

Singapore's professional StreetFighter V player, Brandon Chia, also made an appearance and played alongside some visitors. Former national Taekwondo athlete, Ng Ming Wei, also joined Brandon in a discussion where they spoke about the similarities and differences between traditional and virtual sport. The discussion wrapped up with a thrilling Street Fighter V battle between both speakers.

Former national taekwondo athlete Ng Ming Wei (right) takes on professional Street Fighter V player Brandon Chia in a game of Street Fighter V at a trailer launched as part of festivities leading up to the inaugural Olympic Esports Week. Photo credit: Olympic Esports Week

Singapore Street Fighter V player Brandon Chia (left) and former national taekwondo athlete Ng Ming Wei discuss the differences between esports and traditional sport on 6 May. Photo credit: Olympic Esports Week

Merody and Bings, who are players on the Singapore women’s DOTA2 team also made an appearance on 7 May. The pair spoke with Ming Wei as they gave the audience insight into the life of an esports professional in Singapore and how esports has progressed in the last few years.

Singapore DOTA 2 players Merody (middle) and Bings (right) speak with former national taekwondo athlete Ng Ming Wei about the progress of esports. Photo credit: Olympic Esports Week

The trailer will be moving to its next location, Temasek Polytechnic, from 8 to 11 May. Between now till June, it will make its way to 13 locations across the island and the public is welcome to visit the truck to try out some esports titles. Venues include sport and community hubs, schools, business parks and malls, giving visitors the opportunity to try the OEW titles first hand, compete to win attractive prizes and meet with key leaders in the world of esports and virtual sports. The full schedule is available below.

Earlier this week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) unveiled the final title for Olympic Esports Series Finals – International Sport Shooting Federation's (ISSF) sport shooting island created in Fortnite. 12 players from the 2023 Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS) will be invited to compete in the specially designed Fortnite Creative Island that puts the target-aiming accuracy of sharp shooters to the test where the winner will be crowned an Olympic Esports Series winner.

Tickets to the Olympic Esports Week is available now with tickets starting from S$10 per day and three-day passes are available from S$20, ensuring that more can witness the making of history and enjoy the epic competitions between some of the world’s best players. Day passes for families are also available from S$25. Full event agenda and tickets are available at https://go.gov.sg/olympic-esports-week-tickets. In recognition of Visa’s long-standing partnership with the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Visa is the official and preferred way to pay for Olympic Esports Week tickets.