One of the most active branches of simulation in the world of Esports is racing, and the FIA World Motors Sports Council has certainly been taking notice.
The motorsports governing body announced with a press release that a landmark decision on the topic was taken during a meeting held yesterday (December 11, 2024) in Kigali, Rwanda.
The council has approved the creation of an official FIA Esports Code indicated as “Appendix E” which will be the first created by a global sporting federation.
This code is intended to regulate Esports racing competition in the same way as real-world motorsport competitions are governed by the International Sporting Code.
This will also provide the national sporting authorities with a legal framework to conduct racing Esports events at a national level.
The FIA sanctioned two Esports competitions for the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games and expects to sanction many more in the future, so a specific code is necessary.
For example, there are elements like “car” or “driver” that have always been defined by the International Sporting Code, but they have to be redefined with a specific Esports code to make sense within the world of virtual racing.
The FIA has been quite active in the world of Esports since it started sanctioning competitions like the FIA Gran Turismo Championship during the time of Gran Turismo Sport (the predecessor of the current GT World Series, which isn’t currently sanctioned by FIA as the partnership is on hiatus).
Recently, the motorsports governing body announced that it’s seeking development partners to create a “compelling and top-tier racing title” with an eye to the upcoming 2025 Olympic Esports Games.
