1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:04,120 Speaker 1: Sports, esports and z They're not happy. They say it's 2 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:06,560 Speaker 1: short sighted that they've been left out of a funding 3 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:10,200 Speaker 1: boost from High Performance Sport. New Zealand. High Performance Sport 4 00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:12,840 Speaker 1: just announced it's investing around one hundred and sixty million 5 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:15,720 Speaker 1: dollars for thirty six national sporting organizations over the next 6 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:19,600 Speaker 1: four years. Some of the sports included rowing, you name them, 7 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: you'll know them, cycling, speed climbing, tennis, but electronic sports. 8 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:27,920 Speaker 1: Nah President of the New Zealand es Sports Federation, it's 9 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: Connor English's with me this afternoon, Connor Giday. 10 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:32,480 Speaker 2: Good right, how are you good? 11 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:35,559 Speaker 1: Thank you? What did they say to you exactly when 12 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: they rejected you? 13 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 2: They just said that on this occasion, your investment request 14 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 2: has been unsuccessful when assessed against the criteria. 15 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:47,440 Speaker 1: What's the criteria? 16 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:53,520 Speaker 2: Oh, look, it's on your website. 17 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 1: Well hang on, let me ask you. That's a different question. 18 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: Is one of the criteria that it has to be 19 00:00:57,800 --> 00:00:58,600 Speaker 1: an actual sport. 20 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 2: Well, the sports is a sport and we know this, 21 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 2: Ryan because the New Inland, sorry, the International Olympic Committee 22 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 2: are setting up a whole new Olympic Games around the sports. 23 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 2: You'll have the Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics and then 24 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:20,200 Speaker 2: the Esport Olympics, which is a third part of what 25 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:26,039 Speaker 2: they do. And I think it's recognized globally that esport 26 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:26,760 Speaker 2: is a sport. 27 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:30,400 Speaker 1: And there was slightly a slightly tag and check question, 28 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:35,199 Speaker 1: but I think I think people, I mean, here's the question, 29 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: if you're the sporting high performance sporting body, wouldn't you 30 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:43,119 Speaker 1: rather isn't it better to fund sport the actual sport, 31 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 1: the one where people are physically doing it, rather than 32 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 1: the e version. 33 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 2: Well, high performance sport in New Zeland have actually provided 34 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 2: five thousand dollars a year out of one hundred and 35 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 2: sixty million dollars for supporting a high performance athlete from 36 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 2: the New Zealand d sport. There's j J. K. King 37 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 2: and he's been in a football and he's actually done 38 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 2: not too bad. He's been to a lot of international tournaments. 39 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 2: But I think the thing with esport does seem to 40 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 2: take some people a while to get their head around. 41 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:16,240 Speaker 2: Is it. It's digital competition that we're talking about, and 42 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 2: that can take the form of a swift, which is 43 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 2: people sitting on a cycle riding a bike literally, but 44 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:25,079 Speaker 2: someone else is riding a bike somewhere else. And they're 45 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 2: competing digitally, or you have digital manifestations of existing traditional 46 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 2: sports like say soccer or rugby or basketball. And in 47 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 2: the third area is really around that sort of you know, 48 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 2: seem to see if you're like around Fortnite, Go to two, 49 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 2: you know, rocket Works and all that, those sorts of games, 50 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 2: because there's a real variety of them. 51 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: So you can actually get a sweat on doing a sport. 52 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:58,239 Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, and I think the thing that makes a 53 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:00,359 Speaker 2: lot of skill to be an esport athlete. 54 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 1: I'm sure it does. What about the cost though, There's 55 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:04,720 Speaker 1: got to be a massive difference here. I mean, if 56 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: you're swimming, if you're doing real swimming in an actual pool, 57 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:09,840 Speaker 1: you're going to need an actual pool. 58 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 2: You're going to. 59 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: Need you know, a mountain bike if you're doing mountain bike. 60 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: You know, the costs involved surely would be far greater 61 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 1: for those doing the real sport than the esport. 62 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:21,960 Speaker 2: Well it could be. I mean, an esport you can 63 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 2: play on your phone, on your laptop or on a console. 64 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 2: And we've got a lot of people in New Zealand 65 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 2: who are gaming and playing esports, you know like this, 66 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 2: you know, almost one and a half million people or 67 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 2: so that are engaging digitally in a digital competition, sorry, 68 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 2: on a sort of a weekly basis. So it's just 69 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 2: getting more and more popular and it is very accessible, 70 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 2: as you say, and very inclusive. 71 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 1: Why is it more inclusive than actual sport? 72 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 2: Ah, because it doesn't matter what your shape or sizes, 73 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 2: what your race or creed is. All that matters is 74 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 2: whether you've got more points than the other guy. And 75 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 2: anyone who can use their brain and use their arms 76 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:07,560 Speaker 2: and legs can play. 77 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:11,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, but it isn't I mean, shouldn't sport be about athleticism? 78 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:16,360 Speaker 1: You know, if some fat bugger can beat you, you know, 79 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: are you really a champion? 80 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:23,480 Speaker 2: Well? You know, I think there's all SATs and sizes 81 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:25,599 Speaker 2: with athletes as well. 82 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: No, I know, you know what I'm saying. And the 83 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:30,040 Speaker 1: other thing is we're trying to get rid of obesity 84 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:32,040 Speaker 1: in New Zealand. Do we really want to be encouraging 85 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:35,000 Speaker 1: people to be you know, on their computers. 86 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 2: I've been too a few international events where we've had 87 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:44,839 Speaker 2: players from you know, one hundred countries engaging in competition, 88 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 2: and you know, just a casual observation was there was 89 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:50,800 Speaker 2: all shapes and sizes there, just like there is if 90 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 2: you go to an athletic sports. 91 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:55,400 Speaker 1: Event, interesting, all right, So are you going to follow 92 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:57,920 Speaker 1: up with them any hope still that you holding out 93 00:04:57,920 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: hope that you might get some funding from Higher Performance? 94 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 2: Well it's really disappointing in that this is a four 95 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 2: year program that they've rejected and we've got Eestport Olympics 96 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 2: next year and then two years later. And as a 97 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 2: country we are very well placed because we have got 98 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 2: a national sporting organization that is in the esports area, 99 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:19,640 Speaker 2: so we're ahead of a lot of other countries. But 100 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:22,720 Speaker 2: we do need funding from government and if High Performance 101 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 2: Sport isn't going to deliver it, I guess the question 102 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:27,919 Speaker 2: is how will we get some funding? Because if we 103 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:30,880 Speaker 2: want to look credible on the international stage at the 104 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 2: Olympic level, we do need to have some funding. So 105 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 2: if New Zealand as a country and as a government 106 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:38,599 Speaker 2: wants to reject these sports and doesn't want to be 107 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 2: a participant in it, then I think the government and 108 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 2: the Minister of Sport and High Performance in Design should 109 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:46,120 Speaker 2: just say that and then we can skin the cats 110 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 2: some other way. 111 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:50,159 Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your time. Connor English, President of 112 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 1: the New Zealand Esports Federation. We'd love to hear your 113 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:56,760 Speaker 1: views this afternoon. Nine two niney two is the numbers text. 114 00:05:56,880 --> 00:05:58,920 Speaker 1: Do you think they are deserving of a bit of dosh? 115 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:02,479 Speaker 1: We could ask two Here's and next. For more from 116 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 1: Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news talks it'd 117 00:06:05,839 --> 00:06:09,920 Speaker 1: be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.