The Olympic Games are one of the biggest sports event in the world, and in 2023, a dedicated Esports Olympics were held for the first time in Singapore. Motorsport and sim racing were part of the event, using Gran Turismo 7 - but was the title the right choice to represent the discipline?
Image credit: OverTake
On paper, the choice makes sense: One of the best-known racing franchises was chosen to represent sim racing in the Olympic Esports Series. The game is very accessible and cherished by many racing fans who own a PlayStation 5, and it provided a good show in Singapore. Emily "Emree" Jones was present at the event - and wonders whether or not GT7 was the best title to use.
With great accessibility in mind, there Emily also discusses a few downsides that were not necessarily rooted in the game - like the timing of informing drivers about tire wear and fuel consumption multipliers. A short summary of the event quickly leads to her conclusion of it having been fun and a good showing for sim racing as a discipline - but you will have to watch the rest of the video to find out the answer to the question asked above.
Interestingly, Assetto Corsa Competizione was the title of choice for the esports portion of the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games, which similarly saw sim racers compete for their respective countries. James Baldwin took the gold for the United Kingdom, with Chris Harteveld (Netherlands) and Alberto García (Spain) completing the podium at Circuit Paul Ricard.