Now that athletic sports have developed to the point of maturity and beyond, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is very interested in promoting "mental sports." Thanks to the active support of many Western nations, the incomes of chess players have been slowly catching up with the salaries commanded by professional athletes, and chess has even been selected by the IOC for eventual inclusion as an Olympic event.
當各種以體力為主的運動已發展到成熟、飽和情況，國際奧林匹克委員會極思推展「思考性運動」，西洋棋就在歐美各國爭取下，不僅棋手的薪水朝著職業運動員的水準邁進，近來也得到奧委會認可，不久將成為奧運競賽項目。