According to a report from SportsBusiness Journal, Canadian Olympic Committee Chief Executive Officer Chris Overholt has stepped down from his position to become President of Toronto’s Overwatch League franchise.
Overholt’s participation was allegedly a condition as Activision Blizzard approved the Toronto team proposal. He was CEO of the committee since 2010 and previously held positions with the NFL team the Miami Dolphins, the NHL team the Florida Panthers and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.
Overholt’s vast knowledge in traditional sports, and specifically Canadian sports, will certainly bring a new degree of expertise as the franchise kicks of its first season in the league.
It was reported just earlier last month that Toronto would be one of the newest addition to the Overwatch League as Blizzard looked to expand the number of teams to 20 for the second season. The Toronto franchise will be funded by the Kimel family, OverActive Media Group and Splyce. Vancouver has also been added, making two total in Canada.
Esports Insider says: Overholt’s extensive knowledge and experience in traditional sports will certainly bring a wealth of knowledge to the new OWL franchise. There’s a certain type of refreshment that comes of this while debates are made whether or not esports should be involved in the Olympics. Now, an executive level officer has left an Olympic committee to work in esports development.
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