The new ‘Olympic Virtual Series’ will Zwift races in collaboration with the UCI
The mass participation event will allow cyclists of all levels to compete in an official IOC event
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On Thursday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced its new Olympic Virtual Series (OVS) initiative. The IOC has partnered with five International Sports Federations and game publishers to host virtual competitions in baseball, cycling, rowing, sailing and motor sports.
The UCI and Zwift (an online training and racing platform),will host the cycling portion of the OVS. With the new series Zwift and the UCI continue to grow their relationship as virtual cycling skyrockets in popularity. Notably, the first-ever virtual UCI World Championships were hosted by Zwift in December 2020.
Mass participation
By collaborating on the OVS series, the UCI, Zwift and the IOC hope to “deliver a unique Olympic experience based on mass participation and inclusion.” The OVS events are billed as inclusive sports events, with opportunity for participants of all levels. Part of the IOC’s digital strategy, they aim to “leverage the growing popularity of virtual sport to promote the Olympic Movement, Olympic values and sports participation and grow direct relations with young people.”
“The OVS aims to bring the broader cycling and sporting communities together for four exciting weeks of mass participation focused on inclusion and sharing of the Olympic values and spirit” said UCI President and head of the IOC’s Esports and Gaming Liaison Group, David Lappartient.
The five sports series will kick off as soon as May 11, but cyclists have a bit of time to train—the Zwift events will take place between June 1-27. Zwift plans to announce more information on the format of its OVS programming at the end of May.
“Participation in virtual sports is at an all-time high and Zwift is at the forefront of creating a new genre of physical virtual sport,” said Zwift CEO and Co-Founder Eric Min. “The Olympic Virtual Series aligns with Zwift’s own mission to engage more people, to connect a global audience, and to speak to a younger generation. We’re thrilled that the IOC and the UCI share in our vision and have selected Zwift to be the publisher for the very first OVS.”
The planned OVS events have already attracted the interest of other international sports federations. According to the IOC, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), International Basketball Federation (FIBA), International Tennis Federation (ITF) and World Taekwondo (WT) have “confirmed their excitement and commitment to exploring inclusion in future editions of the OVS.”
