From horse riding to weight lifting and soccer to sailing, what is defined as sa国际传媒渟portssa国际传媒� includes a broad variety of activities. But whether professional video gaming falls under that wide umbrella remains up for debate.

Esports has ballooned in popularity in recent years, drawing fans and professional video game players from around the globe.

This weekend, thousands of people are expected to attend the International Dota 2 Championships in Vancouver, while millions more stream the event online.

Anyone tuning in will see similarities with traditional sporting events, from a stadium packed with cheering fans to well-dressed analysts in headsets offering commentary between matches.

Some of that structure has been borrowed from other sports, said Erik Johnson of Valve, the company that created the sa国际传媒淒ota 2sa国际传媒� game and runs the tournament.

But theresa国际传媒檚 a difference when it comes to competition.

High-level gamers are being tested on how they handle the pressure of being watched by millions of people as they compete for enormous amounts of money, Johnson said.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 not a physical test, itsa国际传媒檚 a mental test for a lot of these players,sa国际传媒� he said.

Victor Goossens is the co-CEO of Team Liquid, which won the sa国际传媒淒ota 2sa国际传媒� championship last year. He said his players spend up to 12 hours a day practising and studying their game, and take care of their physical and mental health in the same way a traditional athlete does.

Like any pro team, Goossenssa国际传媒� group is always looking for a competitive advantage, so earlier this year they teamed up with technology company SAP to develop software that would allow them to analyze their training and in-game performances.

SAPsa国际传媒檚 Milan Cerny worked with competitors in sailing and tennis before turning to the esports project. Gamers and traditional athletes have a lot in common, he said, including that both are sa国际传媒渞eally, really good at what theysa国际传媒檙e doing.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淭hey have a lot of knowledge about the discipline that theysa国际传媒檙e good at,sa国际传媒� he said.

Anyone who thinks gamers arensa国际传媒檛 athletes is misunderstood, said Dan Cybak, CEO of the Gaming Stadium, a group thatsa国际传媒檚 looking to build esports facilities across Canada.

Players spend countless hours honing their eye sight, learning to control their heart rate and perfecting their skills, and they follow strict eating, sleeping and training regimes, just like traditional athletes, he said.

sa国际传媒淭hey have to be on top of their game, they have to choose the right champions,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淭heir skill set and where their mind is at a level that a lot of us cansa国际传媒檛 play at.sa国际传媒�

Cybak believes esports will make it into the Olympics in about a decade, and when they do theysa国际传媒檒l become mainstream.

Justin Simpao with the University of British Columbiasa国际传媒檚 esports association doesnsa国际传媒檛 see professional video gaming as falling under the same category as hockey or basketball.

sa国际传媒淓sports is not a real sport, but it is still a competition,sa国际传媒� he said, adding that both traditional sports and gaming all come down to competitive entertainment.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press

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