Since 2022, the Esports, Gaming, and Meta-Sports track at the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS) has developed into a key platform for research on sports digitalisation. Initially focused on esports and gaming, the track now also addresses meta-sports, virtual sports and mixed-reality sports (choose whichever name you like most 😉), reflecting the growing research on the integration of physical activity and digital environments.

For ECIS 2026 in Milan, the track is featured again and chaired by some members of the Virtual Sports Research Network, including Daniel Westmattelmann and Willem Standaert. The third track chair is Xiao Xiao. All track chairs have recently contributed extensively to the field of sport digitalisation and virtual sports. In a recent blogpost for example, a new study by Westmattelmann and colleagues on the Input-Output Principle in Virtual Sports got discussed.

Track Scope #

The track invites research on esports, gaming, and meta-sports, with a particular interest in sports where physical performance is combined with digital technologies. Relevant topics related to virtual sports include (but are not limited to):

• Institutionalisation of virtual sports and their social and economic impact (e.g. the Olympic Esports Games in 2027)
• Mixed-Reality Sports Platforms (e.g., Zwift, skiing simulators): governance, ethics, business model innovation, …
• Gamification and Engagement in virtual environments
• Technological Innovations such as VR-based training or AI-driven coaching
• Ethics and Governance in virtual competitions, including fairness and data privacy
• Measuring performance metrics in virtual sports (e.g. see Input-Output Principle in Virtual Sports)

The track encourages both theoretical and empirical contributions that advance our understanding of these emerging phenomena. Please review the full track description on the ECIS 2026 website carefully as it of course encompasses more than only virtual sports.

Contributing to the track #

Researchers interested in contributing are encouraged to submit their work or contact the track chairs with any questions. Multiple types of submissions are accepted (e.g. full paper, short paper, panel, workshop). The important dates are:

• Submission Deadline for full and short paper: November 17, 2025
• Notification of Acceptance: February 28, 2026
• Conference Date: June 15–17, 2026, Milan, Italy

Full details and submission guidelines are available on the ECIS 2026 website. The track description can be found here.