The International Olympic Committee and the Esports Integrity Commission Announce Historic Collaboration

The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and in particular the IOC’s Olympic Movement Unit for the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (OM Unit PMC), proudly announce a historic letter of collaboration which will see the organisations work together and exchange information, expertise and best practices to combat corruption and other misconduct in esports.

The IOC’s OM Unit PMC, known for its commitment to safeguarding sports from corruption, will work closely with ESIC, the global industry body recognised for its standards on integrity in esports, across several key areas. The collaboration will involve the sharing of information and insights relating to esports integrity, and the development and implementation of strategies, initiatives and programs aimed at enhancing the integrity of esports. ESIC will also function as a specialist advisory body to the IOC and OM Unit PMC, providing guidance on esports related matters.

Friedrich Martens, Head of the OM Unit PMC at the IOC commented: “With numerous IFs organising esports competitions and the IOC planning to organise relevant competitions as well, we need to ensure that we have all the information and intelligence available to make sure that these competitions are free of manipulations or related breaches. Therefore we are very happy about this letter of collaboration formalising the long-standing communication between ESIC and the OM Unit PMC, particularly as esports is a developing area. Thus, we count on the support of ESIC for safeguarding the integrity and credibility of the esports competitions of the Olympic Movement, specifically to also further understand relevant risks and develop all right measures to mitigate them.

Stephen Hanna, Chief Executive Officer of ESIC expressed his enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating: “This collaboration with the IOC and the OM Unit PMC denotes a significant milestone for the global esports industry and is a testament to the IOC’s engagement with the industry in the development of its esports strategy. We are looking forward to working with the IOC to support its ambitious esports initiatives. This collaboration further validates the critical nature of ESIC’s mission and provides the industry with further assurance that ESIC’s work is meeting the evolving challenges to competitive integrity in esports.”

ESIC Issues Final Determination Regarding Luis “Peacemaker” Tadeu For Failure To Report Free Roam Bug

ESIC Launches ‘Transparency Initiative’ to Bolster Visibility of Investigative Work and Outcomes

OVERVIEW:

ESIC is an integrity body that oversees member events across a variety of different esports titles. ESIC administers (on average) 15-30 investigations concurrently at any one time.
Due to ESIC’s current (but resolving) resourcing constraints, it is often limited to functions that are essential to its investigatory activity and therefore has on occasion not held the capacity to provide convenient updates to the public on ongoing matters in a timely manner.
Irrespective of resourcing constraints, most of the matters that ESIC is currently investigating are highly sensitive and confidential and publicity about them could not only undermine the investigation itself, but also potentially damage the reputation of innocent parties subsequently found to have not participated in corrupt activity. ESIC therefore exercises a high degree of caution in making any statement about ongoing matters.
However, ESIC is aware that the growing public interest in its activities and demand for information to be made available is something that it needs to resolve. It is important that ESIC provide a reliable and proportionate level of insight into the activities it undertakes so as to bolster public confidence in the integrity of esports and of ESIC as its guardian.

New Zealand Esports Federation becomes an ESIC member

ESIC welcomes the government-recognised National Sporting Organisation (NSO), New Zealand Esports Federation (NZESF), as the latest organisation to join ESIC in its efforts towards a uniform standard for integrity in esports.