A post on the International Esports Federation (IeSF) website has revealed that Finland's Esports Federation SEUL has gained recognition from the Finnish Sports Confederation as a sport, which signals that "the movement to recognise esports as an official sports is gaining greater momentum worldwide," according to the post.
SEUL was only last month accepted on the Finnish Olympic Committee, so this is another positive step for them. "Association membership in the Finnish Olympic Committee signals strong confidence in the Finnish Esports Federation and esports in Finland," SEUL Vice President Joonas Kapiainen said. "It's an important acknowledgment which brings us closer to [the] whole sports community and creates new possibilities for co-operation between esports and traditional sports. As an associate member of the Finnish Olympic Committee, we have an increasingly important responsibility to represent esports as a hobby and top-level sports in Finland."
Other bodies in China, Korea, and South Africa have progressed with recognising esports as sports too, and this is just another step for the IeSF, with Denmark, Italy, and Nepal also making positive contributions.
Secretary General of IeSF Alex Lim commented: "Congratulations to the Finnish Esports Federation who has successfully accomplished the recognition of esports as an official sports. Receiving recognition from the government as a true sports does not only mean the authority is given. It also implies that the responsibilities to develop infrastructures, host national competitions, and responsibilities to select and manage national athletes within the country. 2016 has been a challenging year for IeSF, and these news show how much closer we are from being recognised by the international sports society. IeSF would like to appreciate and thank all the efforts of its members for the dedication and effort to expand and enhance the esports industry."
Do you think this is a big step?
