Zwift to host the Olympic Esports Series for 2023

There are plenty of options to choose from in the virtual indoor cycling space. TrainerRoad, Wahoo X, Rouvy, Bkool, and others might all have their fans, but Zwift is generally the most popular option. Want to go Everesting without leaving your house? Zwift is the go-to. Were you invited to a casual, virtual group ride virtually? You’ll probably need a Zwift account. And now, Zwift fans can add another feather to the cap: they’re going to participate in the 2023 Olympic Esports Series Finals.

Zwift, in conjunction with the UCI, will partner to host the 2023 Olympic Esports Series from June 22nd to the 25th in Singapore. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the organizer. All said, 16 finalists (8 men and 8 women) have been chosen based on their performances in the 2022-2023 Zwift Grand Prix and 2023 Cycling Esports World Championships. Fans will be able to follow their struggles live on Olympics.com and Olympic social channels. 

Also read: SRAM Force AXS 2023: First ride review

Olympic Esports is a relatively new phenomenon. First launched in 2021, the IOC has launched cycling alongside a number of other virtual sports, including archery, chess, baseball, dance, motorsport, taekwondo, tennis, and sailing. Most of these aren’t what many might consider esports – after all, there’s no League of Legends here – but any acknowledgment of esports is a fun future. 

🎮 The #OlympicEsportsSeries games lineup:

🏹 Archery
⚾️ Baseball
♟️ Chess
🚴 Cycling
🕺 Dance
🏎️ Motor sport
⛵️ Sailing
🎾 Tennis
🥋 Taekwondo

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) March 1, 2023

The IOC has yet to release the full roster of athletes for these finals, much less an overview of courses or race specifics. One thing we can assure you of–like most cyclists riding indoors, they’ll wish they had one more fan pointed at them than they do currently.