Updated April 19, 2017 13:00:34

Photo: MOBA's like League of Legends will be played at demonstration event next year. (Supplied: Riot Games)

Competitive video game players will share the podium with sprinters, gymnasts and weightlifters at the 2022 Asian Games.

The Olympic Council of Asia announced eSports, the name given to competitive video gaming, will be included as an official medal event in the 2022 competition in Hangzhou.

In a statement the council said the inclusion of eSports reflected "the rapid development and popularity of this new form of sports participation among the youth".

There will an eSports demonstration at next year's Asian Games in Jakarta.

The Asian Games are described as the world's second-biggest multi-sport event after the Olympics.

Almost 10,000 athletes competed at the 2014 event in South Korea.

Athletes won't be playing Tetris

The list of games that will be included in the 2022 competition hasn't been revealed.

But the eSports that will be demonstrated at the 2018 games include FIFA 2017, a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) and a real-time strategy game.

League of Legends is one of the world's biggest MOBAs, with an estimated 100 million monthly active players every month.

Its 2016 championship event drew more than 43 million unique viewers (with a peak of 14.7 million).

It's estimated that eSports had a global audience of 226 million gamers in 2016, with global revenues worth $325 million.

Are the Olympics next?

There are certainly rumblings.

As part of the announcement, the Olympic Council of Asia also flagged a partnership with Alisports, owned by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.

Alisports has also invested $150 million into the International eSports Federation, which aims to make eSports an Olympic event.

The news that eSports will be included in the Asian Games is viewed as a step in the right direction.

But the path to be included as an Olympic sport is notoriously difficult.

The next sports to be added to the Olympic schedule will be baseball/softball, karate, skateboard, sport climbing and surfing.

Topics: arts-and-entertainment, games, games-industry-professional-gaming, sport, china

First posted April 19, 2017 12:53:58