Esports event considered for Paris 2024 Olympics
Meanwhile, Finland is the latest nation to recognise professional players as athletes
The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris could be the first to host an official esports event if the bid team is successful.
Esports Insider reports that the team is rallying for the International Olympic Committee to consider adding professional gaming competitions to the programme.
The site reports that the Paris 2024 team has been openly discussing this for some time, believing esports will help get more young people interested in the Olympics, although the IOC will make the final decision.
Paris is expected to be confirmed as the host of the 2024 Games in September, while Los Angeles is expected to be announced as the host of the 2028 game.
The IOC's decision could be influenced by how successfully esports are integrated into similar competitions further east. Earlier this year, the Olympic Council of Asia confirmed esports will be recognised as a medal event at the 2022 Asian Games in China.
Esports will also be part of the programme at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, although not as a medal sport. Nevertheless, with the Paris programme due to take shape in 2019 and be finalised in 2020, the success of esports in Indonesia could prove to be highly influential in getting competitive gaming included in the main Olympic Games.
While there was no esports competition at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the International eGames Committee ran a "two-day pop-up" competition alongside the event, pitting teams from the UK, US, Brazil, Canada and more against each other.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world of esports, Business Insider reports that Finland is the latest country to officially recognise professional players as atheletes. The decision was confirmed by the Finnish Central Tax Board, which will have an effect on what esports players can earn (or, rather, how much of their earnings will be taxed).
The news follows a similar announcement by the Philippines government last week.