PROSES PENGAKUAN E-SPORTS SEBAGAI OLAHRAGA RESMI: PERBANDINGAN INDONESIA DAN MALAYSIA

Abstract

In 2017, esports was recognized as an international sport by the International Olympic
Committee (IOC). Following this recognition, the International Esports Federation
(IESF), as the international governing body for esports, took strategic steps to
disseminate the norm of esports recognition to its member states. Indonesia and
Malaysia, as IESF member states, have recognized esports as an official sport in their
respective countries. However, there is a time gap in the recognition process between
the two countries. In Indonesia, esports gained recognition in 2018 and obtained legal
certainty in 2022, while in Malaysia, esports was recognized in 2014 and received legal
certainty in 2020. Thus, this study aims to analyze the process of recognizing esports as
an official sport by comparing the approaches in Indonesia and Malaysia. This
research employs the international norms theory and the concept of the international
norm life cycle. A qualitative method with a comparative approach is utilized to identify
and compare the emergence, dissemination, and internalization of the esports
recognition norm in both countries. The data sources include books, journals,
documents, and official websites to derive the research findings. The findings of this
study indicate that Indonesia and Malaysia followed different pathways despite sharing
the same ultimate goal of recognizing esports. In Indonesia, the recognition process
was primarily driven by proactive domestic actors, particularly the central role of
organizations like IESPA, with government support developing later. Conversely, in
Malaysia, the recognition of esports was more influenced by international engagement
and government support, which was subsequently internalized through governmentsupported
policies and initiatives