The Sunday Mail
COMMONWEALTH Games chiefs have confirmed esports is likely to join their full medal programme in 2026.
Competitive gaming is appearing at the Games in Birmingham as a demonstration sport, with the Commonwealth Esports Championships taking place at the International Convention Centre next weekend.
But it is now fully expected that esports will be included on the main schedule for Victoria 2026.
Esports is set to become a full Commonwealth Games sport in Victoria, Australia, from 2026.
“If we weren’t going to be doing it, if we weren’t thinking of moving on, we wouldn’t be doing this (the pilot),” admitted Commonwealth Games Federation president Dame Louise Martin.
“We would never have given them permission to try and showcase this right in the middle of our Games.”
CGF chief executive Katie Sadleir added: “The Commonwealth Esports Championships that we are piloting is an example of how we are an organisation that wants to embrace the youth of the Commonwealth.”
The Commonwealth Games chief said they had signed a long-term commitment with the Global Esports Federation
“We signed a long-term commitment with the Global Esports Federation and there are some really good wins for us in terms of working closely with them.
“The pilot is a pilot, we will evaluate it, but regardless we will have a close association with esports going forward. We like the fact we are doing it first. The phenomenon of esports is growing.”
Sportsmail revealed earlier last week that the International Olympic Committee are sending observers to the esports event in Birmingham with an eye on including it in future Olympic Games.
Meanwhile Joe Fraser flew, flipped and spun over the most painful of barriers before landing as a Commonwealth Games gold medallist in extraordinary circumstances on Friday night.
While it was a title shared between five in England’s successful defence of the team crown, there was no doubting that the brightest star of the bunch was Fraser, the local lad, who revealed a day earlier he would be competing on a broken right foot.
That fracture was diagnosed only a fortnight ago, which, in turn, followed three weeks after he was rushed to hospital with a ruptured appendix.
Fraser spearheaded England’s charge for gold as they finished ahead of Canada and Cyprus.
Taking those ailments into account, what the 23-year-old achieved in dominating the pommel horse and horizontal bar disciplines was remarkable, and was almost matched by him finishing second on the rings and parallel bars, given he nailed what appeared to be excruciating landings in each.
His scores played a huge role in what collectively was a performance of domination by his colleagues James Hall, Jake Jarman, Giarni Regini-Moran and Courtney Tulloch, who added to Fraser accounted for the highest individual scores on each of the six apparatus.
Combined their score of 254.550 was a street clear of Canada and Cypris in silver and bronze, respectively.
Heightened credit ought to go to Regini-Moran, who led the tables in both the parallel bars and floor, as well as taking second in the vault, which was won by Jarman, before Tulloch went top on the rings.
Hall, a consistent scorer in each, will be favourite for the all-around gold today and will face competition from Jarman.
Until Thursday, that marquee title seemed sure to go to Fraser, but he will remain in the hunt for four individual medals in this week, assuming his body can withstand the torment. – dailymail.co.uk
