Egil Trasti Rogstad
Nord University, Norway
Esports is now a global phenomenon, with millions of players and spectators around the world. It involves organized competitive gaming in various digital titles, often featuring professional teams, large prize pools, and international tournaments. At the same time, esports communities have long sought recognition as a legitimate part of organized sports – also in Norway. The Norwegian Esports Federation (NEF) was founded in 2010 and has since tried to build a bridge between gaming culture and traditional sports structures. This week marked a new development: the Norwegian Olympic and Sports Confederation (NIF) rejected NEF’s application for membership. This was the second time NEF attempted to gain entry into Norway’s top sports body. The federation’s first application was reviewed in 2021, but postponed pending further dialogue and clarification of several issues. After years of work strengthening its membership base and adapting to NIF’s requirements, NEF submitted a new application in January 2025, hoping to be admitted at the upcoming Sports Congress in May.
However, with the rejection in April, it became clear that the application would not be forwarded to the Congress. This means that esports, despite growing support, is still not considered part of organized sports in Norway. For many within the Norwegian esports scene, this is a setback and a disappointment after years of effort. For others, particularly within traditional sports, the decision appears to be a sober assessment grounded in the principles on which Norwegian sports are built.
The rejection and its reasoning
The NIF board’s decision means that NEF’s application will not be considered by the Sports Congress, which is the highest governing body in Norwegian sports. The rejection was based on four main points: First, NIF argues that NEF allows commercial entities as members, which conflicts with the voluntary and democratic model of Norwegian sports. Second, NEF was deemed to have insufficient documentation of its membership base. Third, the board found it unclear what specific need a separate esports federation fulfills, and whether inclusion would make efficient use of the sports sector’s resources. Lastly, several ethical concerns were raised regarding the content of popular esports titles.
Another area of contention concerns the content of the games themselves. Many of the most popular esports titles are first-person shooters that contain violent elements.
NIF’s requirements and objections reflect an ongoing debate about what esports is, and whether it can or should align with the value foundation of Norwegian sport. Traditional sports are built on volunteerism, member democracy, and physical health benefits. Esports has emerged from a very different context – one shaped by commercial companies, professional leagues, and digital culture. While NEF has made efforts to organize its clubs in line with the traditional sports model, skepticism remains about whether esports can fully adapt.
In terms of membership, NEF reports close to 90 clubs and more than 1,500 members – a figure that has traditionally served as a threshold for entry into NIF. At the same time, it has long been difficult to accurately estimate how many people actually participate in esports in Norway. Much of the activity takes place outside organized clubs, in private settings or via online platforms. Without a longstanding tradition of club structures and membership registration – as found in more established sports – documentation becomes a challenge. NEF has attempted to demonstrate esports activity in Norway through its application, but this evidently has not been sufficient for NIF.
Another area of contention concerns the content of the games themselves. Many of the most popular esports titles are first-person shooters that contain violent elements. While the violence is virtual, questions have been raised about whether this aligns with the ideals of sports as safe and inclusive spaces for children and youth. NIF referred to “ethical challenges” in its explanation, which likely relates to violent content but perhaps also to issues such as online harassment, addiction, and cheating in esports. Organized esports must confront potentially harmful online behavior and forms of digital “doping” such as hacks and cheat software – challenges that are far less prevalent in traditional sports.
Potential benefits of inclusion
Despite these challenges, there is little doubt that NIF membership could offer several benefits to esports and its participants. First and foremost, it concerns financial support and infrastructure. As a member of the NIF family, NEF would be eligible to apply for public sports grants and lottery funding, and esports clubs would gain access to support schemes on par with other sports teams. In practical terms, esports could also benefit from access to NIF’s organizational systems – including IT tools, educational resources, and coach training tailored to electronic competition.
Another important advantage is formal recognition and legitimacy. NIF membership would, in effect, define esports as a legitimate sport in Norway. This would provide stronger credibility both to skeptical parents and to public institutions. Esports participants – particularly children and youth – would be able to say they are doing sports, with the rights and responsibilities that entails. In turn, this could strengthen the framework surrounding the activity. Through NIF’s regulations, esports clubs would be covered by child protection rules, police record checks for coaches, suitability requirements, and guidelines against harassment.
A third element is anti-doping and fair play. As a NIF member, esports would fall under the jurisdiction of Anti-Doping Norway’s rules and testing protocols. While international anti-doping initiatives exist in esports, they are currently voluntary for Norwegian organizers. NIF membership would make testing and disciplinary procedures a natural part of national esports competitions, similar to traditional sports. NIF’s judicial bodies could also handle cases involving match-fixing or cheating, applying appropriate sanctions based on existing sports law.
International experiences
Norway is not alone in debating esports’ place in organized sports. Internationally, countries have gone in different directions when it comes to recognizing esports. A recent and nearby example is Sweden, where the Swedish Esports Federation applied for membership in the national sports federation (RF) several times. As in Norway, the RF board initially recommended rejection. But at the 2023 national meeting, a majority of sports federations voted in favor of admitting esports, defying the board’s advice. The vote passed with 108 to 71, making the Swedish Esports Federation an RF member from 2023. Several well-known Swedish athletes argued that sports must keep up with the times to avoid losing an entire generation.
Other countries made progress years ago. South Korea, often referred to as the cradle of esports, officially recognized professional gaming as a sport in 2000 by creating the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) under the Ministry of Culture and Sports. Since then, Korea has built a large industry around esports, and the federation is a member of the Korean Olympic Committee. China was also an early mover – in 2003, the government declared esports an official sport to encourage competitive gaming. In 2016, Finland’s Olympic Committee accepted the Finnish Esports Federation (SEUL) as an associate member, providing a formal link to organized sports. Denmark has taken a more cautious approach; while the Danish Sports Confederation (DIF) has not accepted esports as a sport per se, individual sports federations in Denmark do host esports within their own domains (e.g. e-football under the football federation).
Global sports institutions have also begun to cautiously embrace esports. The Asian Games made headlines by including esports as a medal event for the first time during the 2022 edition in China. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has launched pilot projects such as the Olympic Esports Week (first held in Singapore in June 2023) and has announced plans to launch the Olympic Esports Games starting in 2027. However, the IOC has made it clear that esports will not become part of the official Olympic Games. Instead, this is a separate initiative, featuring only selected games – primarily digital simulations of traditional sports such as cycling, archery, and motorsports. The IOC has explicitly excluded first-person shooters and other violent titles, citing the Olympic movement’s values. As such, only a narrow segment of the esports landscape will be represented within this Olympic framework. The global picture is mixed: some countries integrate esports into their sports structure, while others keep it at arm’s length. With this decision, Norway still finds itself in the latter category.
The road ahead
The recent rejection does not mean the door is fully closed. NIF has expressed a willingness to continue the dialogue, and NEF has shown a willingness to adapt. But the way forward requires more than tweaks to organizational models and membership data.
Several of the challenges raised in public debate – from unclear membership numbers and grassroots organization to commercial ownership, age restrictions, violent content, and unregulated economies – are not easily resolved. Many of these are structural issues, highlighting deep differences between esports and the model on which Norwegian sports is based.
Esports is here to stay. But it is not a given that it must fit into organized Norwegian sports as we know it. Perhaps esports is better off developing along parallel tracks, with its own premises and value systems. A potential future together would nonetheless require that both parties acknowledge the complexity involved – and be willing to approach it with both critical awareness and constructive intent.
Copyright © Egil Trasti Rogstad 2025
