This partnership aims to exchange information, insights, and best practices to combat corruption and misconduct in esports.

The IOC’s Olympic Movement Unit for the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (OM Unit PMC) will play a key role in this initiative, helping to develop and implement strategies, initiatives, and programs to enhance integrity in esports.

ESIC will act as an advisory body, providing guidance and expertise to the IOC and OM Unit PMC.

Founded in 2016, ESIC is a non-profit organization focused on addressing integrity concerns in the esports industry, including prosecuting breaches such as match-fixing.

Recently, a new board featuring executives from Electronic Sports League (ESL) and BLAST was established to strengthen ethical practices through frameworks and benchmarks to tackle issues like cheating.

The IOC has increasingly invested in the esports space, establishing a new official commission last year that includes notable stakeholders from G2 Esports, Ubisoft, and Konami.

Additionally, the IOC announced plans to create an Olympic Esports Games following the Olympic Esports Series, which featured competitions in titles such as Gran Turismo, Zwift, and Just Dance.

Friedrich Martens, Head of the OM Unit PMC at the IOC, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating: “With numerous IFs organizing esports competitions and the IOC planning to organize relevant competitions as well, we need to ensure that we have all the information and intelligence available to make sure that these competitions are free of manipulations or related breaches.

“Therefore, we are very happy about this letter of collaboration formalizing the long-standing communication between ESIC and the OM Unit PMC, particularly as esports is a developing area.

“Thus, we count on the support of ESIC for safeguarding the integrity and credibility of the esports competitions of the Olympic Movement, specifically to also further understand relevant risks and develop all right measures to mitigate them.”

Stephen Hanna, CEO of ESIC, also shared his enthusiasm, stating: “This collaboration with the IOC and the OM Unit PMC denotes a significant milestone for the global esports industry and is a testament to the IOC’s engagement with the industry in the development of its esports strategy.

“We are looking forward to working with the IOC to support its ambitious esports initiatives.

“This collaboration further validates the critical nature of ESIC’s mission and provides the industry with further assurance that ESIC’s work is meeting the evolving challenges to competitive integrity in esports.”

ESIC has been diligent in its efforts to disrupt, prevent, investigate, and prosecute cheating and malpractice in esports.

In April 2024, ESIC launched the FairPlay Academy, a learning platform aimed at promoting fair play, ethics, and anti-corruption within esports and gaming.

The International Olympic Committee, renowned for organizing The Olympic Games, positions itself as the guardian of the Olympic Games and the leader of the Olympic Movement.

It fosters collaboration among Olympic nations, stakeholders, athletes, and more.

The OM Unit PMC is an internal IOC unit dedicated to supporting International Sports Federations (IFs), National Olympic Committees (NOCs), multi-sports event organizers, and other sports organizations in their efforts to protect the integrity of their sports and competitions.

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Holmlund is being looked at under the Anti-Corruption Code which outlaws esports players from gambling on any esports, including matches they are involved on.

According to ESIC, there’s compelling evidence suggesting Holmlund placed bets on matches he was actively participating in between March 27 and 28. But that’s not the end of it.

On March 31, Holmlund allegedly went a step further, wagering against his own team in a game. From March 29 to May 1, he’s believed to have placed 17 bets across various CS:GO fixtures.

These transgressions were allegedly committed while Holmlund was competing under the banner of the Swedish esports powerhouse, Godsent, during events like BetBoom Playlist Urbanistic and IEM Dallas 2023 Europe Closed Qualifier.

Owing to these grave allegations, ESIC has temporarily benched Holmlund from participating in any tournaments aligned with ESIC members. The exact duration of this suspension remains undisclosed, with a comprehensive statement from ESIC expected in October 2023, post-investigation.

After receiving a Notice of Charge on August 30, Holmlund contested the allegations. This spurred ESIC into a deeper probe, and although the suspension remains intact, Holmlund has a window till October 6 to present any new evidence for consideration.

In a statement from ESIC, they emphasised the seriousness of the charges.

“Considering the gravity of the allegations, Mr. Holmlund’s current active participation in an ESIC-affiliated event, and being satisfied with the compelling evidence presented in its further investigation, ESIC has elected to suspend Mr Holmlund via a Rejection Order Notice,” it says.

The intricate investigation procedure includes a thorough analysis of digital imprints such as IP addresses, device specifics, and browser data; meticulous scrutiny of individual bets placed during the mentioned events; and a deep dive into betting trends concerning his professional engagement, among other aspects.

ESIC, established in 2015, is a non-profit entity that has been striving to uphold the sanctity of esports. With partnerships spanning betting firms, event organizers, governmental agencies, and other esports key players, its influence is noteworthy.

GODSENT, while commenting on the situation on the social media platform X said they were co-operating with ESIC’s investigation.

“Joel’s suspension from Godsent followed us being informed of serious allegations relating to match-fixing and betting in between the 27th of March and the 1st of May, on our own and other matches, coming from relevant parties in the industry,” they wrote.

“As soon as we retrieved the information we immediately suspended Joel from play. Then we have been closely collaborating with ESIC in helping them build a case and collecting evidence in collaboration with third parties.”

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The commission first caught wind of it in 2020, as coaches were using it to give their teams an unfair advantage in the game. Some 37 coaches were sanctioned for their role in using the bug, with bans ranging from a few months to three years.

However, recent reports have revealed that a lot more CS:GO coaches could be in the firing line. When 37 coaches were sanctioned in 2020, only about 20% of the data had been analyzed.

Although the commission is yet to reveal names, it said in a press statement that another 47 offending coaches had been uncovered, bringing the total number of culprits to 84.

The ESIC has acknowledged that the investigations have taken a while, which prompted this release before sanctions are handed out:

“While ESIC is aware that the Spectator Bug matter has been active for an extended period of time, it has been deemed necessary that ESIC make an interim release ahead of ESIC’s upcoming enforcement activity in the public interest.”

During the investigation, ESIC discovered two specific variants of the spectator bug – ‘free roam’ and ‘third-person’.

The third-person spectator bug is said to have affected 47 participants, and it only lasted for one round. The statement also revealed that it posed a low risk to competitive integrity, especially as it affected every participant. Regardless, punishments will be handed out to those who chose to cheat.

Given the severity, or lack of it, of this bug, the commission revealed that the penalty would be a 30-day ban for each round the bug was used. However, those whose use did not last for up to one round will be reviewed separately, and their penalty will be solely at the discretion of the Commissioner.

“In certain circumstances, participants were affected by the Third-Person Spectator Bug for less than 1 round. In those circumstances, the Commissioner will review the matter on a case-by-case basis to determine if those occurrences should be included.”

Regarding the free-roam spectator bug, only three participants were found wanting. According to the release, this is the most severe use of the bug, as it gave users the license to fly around the map without any limitation.

Four participants in the 2022 PGL Major Antwerp are culprits based on the findings of the investigation. However, the ESIC revealed that only three would be punished accordingly, given the severity of their crimes.

The three affected participants have been provisionally suspended and will not feature in the Antwerp Major. The ESIC says the charges will be issued imminently, which suggests that sentences might be dished out before the 2022 PGL Major is scheduled to commence on May 9.

A total of 24 teams representing several regions have already sealed their spots to compete for a piece of the $1 million prize pool as well as BLAST Premier points. However, some teams might be short-handed for the event.

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The High School Esports League (HSEL) has recruited the US Army to help build 25 esport centers in North America. These workshops will be fitted with high-tech computers and equipment supplied by Intel and Asus. There will also be an education program for students on how to build and maintain these labs.

Jason Kirby, President of Generation Esports, mentions that the implementation of these facilities will teach students how to set up computers and prepare them for the option of working in the industry.

Asia esports news

EVOS Esports have launched a partnership with Chek Hup coffee. The collaboration is Malaysian based and the coffee company will supply coffee and promote EVOS through brand ambassadorship.

In turn, EVOS will have the coffee brand on their jerseys and create videos that market Chek Hup’s products. It ought to be a meaningful relationship, as caffeine is an integral part of most gamer’s arsenals.

Africa esports news

Lenovo and Power League Gaming have started a program to celebrate female gamers in the Middle East and North Africa. The duo have launched a platform called Miss Esports, which will reach out to local ambassadors and their female mentors.

If successful, this will help change the relatively rigid cultural traditions that dominate the region.

Africans have cottoned on to the potential of the esports industry. Some 17 universities in South Africa alone have included esports into their syllabus.

The African market isn’t as affluent as the rest of the world when it comes to esports events. Due to COVID and the lack of usual activities, there should be a spike in esport interests.

Europe esports news

The esports betting industry is growing and maturing into a formidable market. It is expected to reach a value of €670 million by 2023. Deloitte states that there will be a total of 86 million fans in Europe alone and a fan base of 380 million people worldwide. This is something that esports betting sites will surely look to make the most out of.

South America esports news

Online gambling brand Betway is in the process of expanding its portfolio. The firm has partnered up with Peruvian Dota 2 esports team Beastcoast.

The side will have the bookmaker’s brand appear on the shirts of the team for one year. The gaming brand will also collaborate with the Electronic Sports League (ESL) members. Betway will work together with members to create new content for fans.

Oceania esports news

The global esports watchdog, Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC), has found seven CS: GO pro players guilty of cheating. The perpetrators were caught using CS:GO betting sites to wager on official games they were playing in. The ESIC has therefore banned them from participation for the next 12 months.

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FlyQuest to open Second Weekend of LoL Worlds

FlyQuest will open the next stage of the 2020 League of Legends World Championship on Saturday when they face Top Esports in Group D. The Americans are underdogs with LoL betting sites, as their Chinese opponents are outright favourites for the title and come into this clash on a winning streak.

As it’s the opening match of the group stage, whoever wins this matchup will have a significant advantage going forward. FlyQuest will be hoping for a big display from Lucas “Santorin” Larsen, who was ranked the best LCS jungler last season.

Asia esports news

NG Pulling Together New CS:GO Squad

NG Esports are putting together an international superteam of Asian Counter-Strike stars. The first member to join the Thai CS:GO team is Anthony “ImpressioN” Lim, who will take the role of team captain and rifler.

We’re still awaiting news on further additions, but with ImpressioN leading the pack, it’s looking good already. We won’t have to wait too long for updates as NG intend to participate in the IEM Beijing-Haidan qualifier. If they plan to meet that goal, they’ll need to get some serious practice in by mid-October.

Africa esports news

Where Will Cloud9’s Departing CS:GO Players Go?

Rumour has it that Ricky “?floppy?” Kemery has received an invite to remain with Cloud9’s new-look CS: GO roster, but we’re still awaiting confirmation.

After a poor performance over the year, the North American organization decided to recruit a new team. However, they’ve committed to finding their current roster new homes.

Among those leaving are three South Africans: Johnny “JT” Theodosiou, Aran “Sonic” Groesbeek, and coach Tiaan “T.c” Coertzen.

Europe esports news

Dozens of CS:GO coaches cop bans from ESIC

In the first phase of investigation into the use of a spectator bug during CS:GO matches, the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has banned 37 coaches from professional teams. Thus, we can expect some big CS:GO betting swings for games involving the affected rosters.

Some have received more severe bans than others: a few have copped 3.75-month suspensions, while others will sit out for 10 months. Aleksandr “?MechanoGun” Bogatiryev was hit hardest of all, receiving a 36-month ban.

The ESIC reported that only a small portion of the investigation is complete, and more news will come towards the end of October. The Commission is also investigating several match-fixing cases.

Oceania esports news

100 Thieves are Officially Coachless

After quite a bit of speculation, Chet “?ImAPet” Singh has officially left his coaching post at 100 Thieves. Several sources reported last week that the Counter-Strike tactician was looking for an opportunity in the VALORANT community.

He announced his departure to the world in a Twitter post, but we’re still in the dark regarding his next move. In the meantime, 100 Thieves will continue playing without his guidance.

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ESIC’s suspicious betting alert found that Jose Gianmarco “gianDK” Durand Cornejo engaged in match-fixing to the detriment of his own team, Thunder Awaken, in a DOTA 2 match. Officials and the player in question both insist this action was taken without the prior knowledge of other members of the team.

The incident took place during a joinDOTA League Season 12 Americas Division 1 match between Thunder Awaken and MORTY.

The crime would have gone unnoticed but for the vigilance of ESIC’s suspicious betting detection system. A partner with ESIC detected evidence of unusual betting patterns during the game and immediately notified the integrity body. The data was then sent to the league organizer, joinDOTA, for further analysis.

ESIC suspended Thunder Awaken before a detailed investigation singled out gianDK, who owned up to the crime and said none of his team members knew of what he did.

“I did this big mistake,” the 22-year-old confessed.

“I acted by myself, and I am actually very sorry to let down my team mates.

“No one else is involved but me. I feel very sorry.”

JoinDOTA has disqualified Thunder Awaken from Season 12 competition and relegated them back to Starter Division. League officials have also handed gianDK a two-year ban from all joinDOTA and Freaks 4U Gaming activities. ESIC has banned the rogue player from all member events, while the Thunder Awaken team has axed him from the roster.

Integrity Commissioner for ESIC, Ian Smith, expressed dismay over the development, adding that the culprit obviously acted on his own and was not influenced in any way to do what he did.

Many in the emerging esports industry have condemned Jose Gianmarco Durand Cornejo for his actions. Meanwhile, some say the ESIC must endeavour to know why he cheated so as to plug the hole in other emerging athletes.

Whatever the case, ESIC’s alert network has proven to be effective in detecting suspicious and irregular betting activities.

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