[1/5] Workers set up the venue for the inaugural Olympic Esports Week in Singapore June 19, 2023. REUTERS/Edgar Su
SINGAPORE, June 21 (Reuters) – Elite virtual archers, sharpshooters, race car drivers, cyclists and sailors are gathering in Singapore along with dancers and chess aficionados from Thursday for the first ever Olympic Esports Week.
In keeping with the best Olympic traditions, there will be an opening ceremony before the competitors get down to action playing commercial video games in front of three huge screens at the Suntec City Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Siti Zhwyee, a 38-year-old local competing in ‘Just Dance’, is far from the stereotypical image of a gamer as an unhealthy, isolated youngster wiling away hours glued to their screens.
A dance fitness instructor and mother of two, Zhwyee plays the Ubisoft product for two to four hours a day to stay at the top of her game.
Zhwyee and her rivals win points by matching the choreography of an electronic dancer on screen, earning extra credits from the judges for expression and style.
Gamers meet Games in inaugural Olympic Esports Week
