In partnership with Virtual Regatta, the leading digital sailing platform, the inaugural season of the event is due to commence at World Sailing’s London headquarters on May 10 and culminate in the final in American city Sarasota on October 30.

The eSailing World Championship will be made up of a series of challenges and live events with different levels of importance.

During each challenge and live event, gamers will be able to compete in as many races as they want, for free.

These regattas will enable players to accumulate points that will establish their standings in the eSailing world rankings.

Leading gamers will then advance to the play-offs to determine who will head to Sarasota for the final and the opportunity to be crowned the first-ever eSailing world champion.

World Sailing joined several other sporting bodies in embracing the concept of esports in November, when the eSailing World Championship was first unveiled. 

"Following our announcement of the eSailing World Championship last November, anticipation for the competition format, types of boat which will be available and playability has been incredibly high," World Sailing President Kim Andersen said.

"We’re delighted with the progress we have made and in Virtual Regatta we have a committed partner to ensure we appeal to expert sailors and gamers with a fantastic user experience at the heart of the game play.

"We’re excited to release the game to the world and inspiring more people to engage with our sport."

The eSailing World Championship is aimed at everyone from expert sailors to sports gamers.

Virtual Regatta is said to have experienced that around half of players are non-sailors, and with a young age profile.

World Sailing views the Championship as a perfect way for fans without access to sailing equipment or facilities to become engaged in the excitement of the sport.

"The unique qualities of sailing - combining sport, nature and technology - lend themselves to a virtual gaming environment," the body claim.

"The multiplicity of variables, with the combination of equipment and the forces of nature, make virtual sailing every bit as challenging and strategic as the real thing."

Virtual Regatta currently has more than one million active players on its platform and has acquired in excess of 100 million views on Dailymotion.

"We are very pleased to be joining World Sailing in partnership," Philippe Guigne, founder and chief executive of Virtual Regatta, said.

"Our e-sailing model has been proven over the years by players from around the world.

"The support of the governing body of the sport adds value to our concept and the players involved.

"It also confirms the growing importance of gaming on a digital platform for the development of our sport."

The International Olympic Committee recognised esports as a sports activity last November and it is due to be included as a demonstration sport at the Asian Games in Indonesian cities Jakarta and Palembang in September.

Esports was also a demonstration sport at the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat in Turkmenistan last September.

It will debut as a medal sport at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou in China.

The International e-Sports Federation, a South Korean-based organisation which claims to represent 47 countries, including 18 from Asia, has recently revealed it is in "deep in talks" with organisers of the 2024 Olympics in Paris about incorporating the discipline as a demonstration sport at the Games.

Earlier this week, Kenneth Fok, President of the Asian Electronic Sports Federation, urged esports to unite and regulate itself properly before Hangzhou 2022 to help its campaign to become an Olympic sport.

He warned an industry conference that the sport must have a single governing body if it is to become a mainstream sport and join the Olympic Movement.