Bolt sprints to game changing stake in esports

Usain Bolt is the latest superstar to enter the world of online gaming, as co-owner of a fledgling Irish esports group.

The world’s fastest man, a well-known lover of video games, has acquired a stake in the Dublin-based Wylde, set up two years ago by an ex-JP Morgan banker and the former boss of the American Ireland Fund.

“I’ve been a gamer all my life and a proud member of the growing esports community,” Bolt, 35, said. “Wylde is on a journey to becoming one of the biggest brands in the fastest-growing sport in the world.”

Wylde already has esports teams competing in various video game tournaments, including Rocket League and Fifa. It plans to use Bolt’s star status to attract lucrative sponsorship deals.

Esport is predicted to attract a global audience of a billion by 2025. In 2020 David Beckham invested in Guild Esports, the London-listed group.