Paris Games Preview VR Boxing Future

Sports fans were given a glimpse into the Olympics of the future with a demonstration of virtual reality boxing at the Paris games.

The IOC will stage the Olympic Esports Games every two years from 2025, with Saudi Arabia playing host for the first 12 years.

It follows the Olympic Esports Series, a slightly watered down version of the Olympic Esports Games that was held in Singapore last June and will be run again in 2024.

At the Esports Olympics, some Esports events will be suggested by federations which have a compatible version of their sport, while others will be new.

During an Alibaba event on the sidelines of the Paris games, a virtual reality boxing game was demonstrated, and its developers said it can promote fitness and social inclusion.

One attraction of the game - when set against the gender row that has engulfed female boxing at Paris 2024 - is that all shapes, sizes and sexes can fight each other.

Paul Foster, the CEO of the Global Esport Federation, said that the potential for the growth in gaming is huge.

"We're living in one of the most exciting times in our history because of the confluence of these powerful technologies that are enabling us to do that at a much quicker rate than we could have ever imagined," he said.

His sentiments were shared by Samy Bessi, who said that some Esports stars could become as big as the likes of Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps, who have shot to global fame as a result of their Olympic achievements.

Judoka Youcef Al Anbagi got to try out the boxing headsets, and was impressed by what he had seen - both in reality, and virtual reality.

The 40-year-old, who has trained with Teddy Riner, coaches children and was excited by the potential for fitness and inclusivity it offered.

Meanwhile, Ng Chong Geng, the founder of Retract Technologies, the company which made the boxing game, said it could be rolled out to gyms to help fighters improve technique and fitness, as well as being sold as an entertainment product.