Now that quite a number of major sporting events have been cancelled, what we’re seeing is how some sporting organizations and event organizers have come up with some creative solutions, such as getting professional athletes to compete in the eSports version of the game that they play.
While there might be some procedures and systems in place to prevent cheating during a real-life sporting event, it seems that organizers are still working out the kinks for the eSports alternative. This is because according to reports, Formula E driver Daniel Abt was disqualified and ordered to pay a fine after he was caught having hired a professional gamer to play in his place during an official eSports race.
Abt finished third in the event, which was meant to be a fun event and raise money for UNICEF, and apparently raised some eyebrows when he did not appear in the post-race interview. It was later discovered that he had hired a professional gamer to take his place in the fifth round, which according to Abt, was meant to be a “joke”.
According to Abt, “We had a conversation and the idea came up that it would be a funny move if a sim racer basically drove for me, to show the other, real drivers, what he is capable of and use the chance to drive against them. We wanted to document it and create a funny story for the fans with it.” Abt has since been let go by Audi from its Formula E racing team following the scandal.