The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Saturday that it will explore plans for the creation of an Olympic Esports Games.

"I have asked our new IOC Esports Commission to study the creation of the Olympic Esports Games," said IOC President Thomas Bach at the opening ceremony of the 141st IOC session in Mumbai, India. 

The ceremony was attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who confirmed that his country is interested in bidding for the 2036 Olympics, as well as the 2029 Summer Youth Olympic Games.

Regarding esports, there is an estimated population of three billion people playing esports and gaming around the world, with the majority of them under the age of 34, and over 500 million of them specifically interested in esports which includes virtual sports and sport simulations, according to Bach.

The IOC first engaged in esports in 2018, launching the Esports Forum in Lausanne, and developed the Olympic Virtual Series three years later, before launching the Olympic Esports Week in Singapore in 2023.

"In Singapore, we saw proof that our holistic approach is working. We successfully brought together the Olympic and the esports communities," said Bach. 

What he meant by the remark was a record of 6 million views of live action over all channels, in addition to a full house of spectators who cheered for a total of 10 mixed-gender events featuring over 130 players from around the world. 

He also tapped into meeting the trend of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in his speech, calling for a change of mindset in the Olympic Movement to seize the surging opportunity.

"Our continued success depends on how we embrace the ever-accelerating development of digital technology and in particular AI. This makes our Olympic Agenda 2020 imperative, 'change or be changed', even more urgent," he said.

"The younger generation has a completely new way of thinking. They are living digital lives right now. We must not ignore their thinking if we do not want to jeopardize our own future. We must empower them to guide us with their young mindset."

"We have to devise a holistic analysis of the opportunities and risks of AI - and then take action immediately. I am happy to inform you that this work is already underway. If things go well, you may see some first consequences of this already in Paris," he added.