E-SAILING AND OLIMPIC GAMES: IMPOSSIBLE MADE REAL

Abstract

The confident rapid progress of eSports to world and Olympic recognition gives reasons to consider it a modern cultural and social phenomenon. The lack of consensus among scientists about the place of eSports as a sport causes active debates. However, its increased popularity has turned it into a mass phenomenon of modern society. The use of simulators and virtual reality in sailing, with the support of World Sailing, contributed to the emergence of the Virtual Regatta. Today, Esailing is one of the eSports disciplines selected by the International Olympic Committee for the Olympics Esports Weeks (OEW) and the Olympics Virtual Series (OVS). The eSailing World Championship and eSailing Team World Championship are held annually on an ongoing basis, and in 2024, the 37th Louis Vuitton America's Cup with AC Sailing and the first ever AC eSports Championship were added to eSports. With the support of the IOC, it is planned to expand the competition format and hold a 3x3 Team Racing World Championship, and eSailing is planning to become part of the Olympic Games in eSports in Riyadh. We have found that in order to increase the number of participants in Virtual Regatta, famous yachtsmen-champions are involved, new routes are developed and new classes of yachts are added. It has been shown that electronic games, such as "Virtual Regatta", in their variations can be used by gamers, professional athletes and different groups of the population (youth, people with disabilities, sports enthusiasts, etc.), who, having reached a certain level, can become participants in eSailing in the Olympic Games program.

Keywords

• eSailing
• Olympic Games program
• Virtual Regatta
• development dynamics

References

1. Bobrovich,, I. (2024). Esports: Terms and Market Definition. In esports: Insider Tips on Succeeding in the Industry that is Shaping the Future of Entertainment (pp. 57-73). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
2. Jenny, S.E., Manning, R.D., Keiper, M.C., & Olrich, T.W. (2017). Virtual(ly) athletes: Where eSports fit within the definition of ‘sport’. Quest, 69, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2016.1144517
3. Ansgar, Thiel & Jannika, M. John. (2018). Is eSport a ‘real’ sport? Reflections on the spread of virtual competitions, European Journal for Sport and Society, 15:4, 311-315, https://doi.org/10.1080/16138171.2018.1559019
4. Kane, D., & Spradley, B. (2017). Recognizing eSports as a sport. The Sport Journal, 19.
5. Wang, J. (2012). Research on application of virtual reality technology in competitive sports. Procedia Engineering, 29, 3659-3662.
6. Neumann, D.L., Moffitt, R.L., Thomas, P.R., Loveday, K., Watling, D.P., Lombard, C.L., & Tremeer, M.A. (2018). A systematic review of the application of interactive virtual reality to sport. Virtual Reality, 22, 183-198.
7. Bilohur, V., Skrypchenko, І., Nepsha, O. (2023). The influence of globalization and digitalization on the establishment and conceptual digital sports development in China. Humanities Studies. 14, 83-92.
8. Skrypchenko, I. (2016). Physical preparation of qualified sportsmen in sailing. Sports Bulletin of the Dnieper, (2), 129-134.

9. Ward, C.L., & Kennedy, T.M. (2020). Esports & competition: The relationship between video games and competitive gaming. Journal of Applied Sport Management, 12(1), 47-59.
10. Ji, F., Zhang, X., Zhao, S., & Fang, Q. (2023). Virtual reality: a promising instrument to promote sail education. Front. Psychol. 14:1185415. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1185415
11. Mooney, J., Saunders, N.R., Habgood, M., Binns, Jonathan. (2009). Multiple applications of sailing simulation. University of Tasmania. Conference contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/102.100.100/493719
12. Skrypchenko, I., Hamad, S., Joksimović, M., Singh, R. M., Yarymbash, K., & Lastovkin, V. (2022). Significance of anthropometric characteristics of Olympic sailors and their functional position in boat for relation to racing success. VIREF Revista De Educación Física, 11(4), 83–102. Recuperado a partir de https://revistas.udea.edu.co/index.php/viref/article/view/349629
13. Walls, J., Bertrand, L., Gale, T., & Saunders, N. (1998). Assessment of upwind dinghy sailing performance using a virtual reality dinghy sailing simulator. J Sci Med Sport, 1(2):61–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1440-2440(98)80014-5
14. Recio, A.C., Becker, D., Morgan, M., Saunders, N.R., Schramm, L.P., McDonald, J.W. 3rd. (2013). Use of a virtual reality physical ride-on sailing simulator as a rehabilitation tool for recreational sports and community reintegration: a pilot study. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 92(12), 1104–9. https://doi.org/10.1097/PHM.0000000000000012
15. Albert, C. Recio, Steven, A. Stiens, Marjorie, Morgan, Shalini, Selvarajah, Amna, C. Mazeh, Mark, D. Habgood & Norman, R. Saunders. (2024) Realtime physical simulator for virtual reality sailing by patients with spinal cord injury: an innovative voyage. Health Open Research, 6.
16. Manzanares, A., Camblor, A., Romero-Arenas, S., Segado, F., Gil-Arias, A. (2023). Adapted sailing teaching methodology using vsail-trainer simulator as rehabilitation therapy. A feasibility study. J Spinal Cord Med.;3, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/10790268.2023.2228585
17. Manzanares, A., Camblor, A., Romero-Arenas, S., Segado, F., Gil-Arias, A. (2021). Effect of a semi-immersive virtual reality navigation therapy on quality of life in persons with spinal cord injury. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol. 10, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2021.1913520
18. Aprile, I, Iacovelli, C., Iuvone, L., Imbimbo, I., Cruciani, A., Pecchioli, C., Manozzi, F.M., Padua, L. (2016). Use of a virtual-technological sailing program to prepare children with disabilities for a real sailing course: effects on balance and quality of life. J Child Neurol. 31(8):1074–80. https://doi.org/10.1177/0883073816638756
19. Autry, C.E., & Anderson, S.C. (2022). Virtual reality sailing simulation for people with physical disabilities: Learn to sail. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 56(2), 177-190.