Finland officially recognizes Esports as actual sport

The Finnish Olympic Committee has officially accepted the Finnish e-Sports Federation as an associate member, meaning that Esports is now a real sport in Finland with pro athletes and all.

Finland joins 21 other IeSF member nations that have now received recognition of esports as a sport by traditional sports and governmental bodies, another 24 are in process for next year. In 2016, IeSF’s members from Russia, Italy, Denmark, and Nepal achieved sports recognition status by traditional sports bodies in their respective nations. China, Korea, and South Africa were the first countries to achieve such recognition thanks to IeSF’s political efforts.

“It’s an important acknowledgment which brings us closer to whole sports community and creates new possibilities for cooperation between esports and traditional sports,” said Joonas Kapiainen, vice-president of the Finnish e-Sports Federation.

“2016 has been a challenging year for IeSF, and these news show how much closer we are from being recognized by the international sports society,” said Alex Lim, general secretary of IeSF. “IeSF would like to appreciate and thank all the efforts of its members for the dedication and effort to expand and enhance the esports industry.”