Gran Turismo Sport can make you an Olympian

Thanks to the rise of e-sports, gaming is now a very viable career. But soon, it could even lead you to an Olympic gold medal, assuming you’re good enough, that is. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) debuted several virtual Olympic leagues. Along with baseball, cycling, rowing, and sailing, motorsports are part of it. The game? Gran Turismo Sport.

Yes, you could become an Olympian and even potentially win a gold medal for your country by playing Gran Turismo Sport. Unfortunately, specific details about the Olympic Gran Turismo series aren’t available just yet. What we do know is that it is in partnership with the FIA. The IOC also says that each virtual sport “will operate via the sport’s respective publisher platform where participants will be able to take part.” With that in mind, it will likely be an in-game event similar to the current FIA-sanctioned Gran Turismo Sport leagues.

“The Olympic Virtual Series is a new, unique Olympic digital experience that aims to grow direct engagement with new audiences in the field of virtual sports. Its conception is in line with Olympic Agenda 2020+5 and the IOC’s Digital Strategy. It encourages sports participation and promotes the Olympic values, with a special focus on youth,” said IOC president Thomas Bach.

It is still unclear which countries will be competing or how aspiring racers can sign up. However, the competition date is closing in fast. The Olympic Virtual Series will take place from May 13 to June 23, 2021, just ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. So if your Gran Turismo Sport game and sim rig are gathering dust, maybe it’s time to start playing again. Who knows, you might end up bringing home the gold for the Philippines.

But that is only possible if the game will (finally) allow us to put a Philippine flag on our virtual race cars.