The International Olympic Committee (IOC), in partnership with blockchain came studio, nWay, have announced the launch of a mobile game allowing Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games fans to earn Olympics-themed NFTs.

The mobile game, Olympic Games Jam: Beijing 2022, will allow fans to earn NFTs by competing in a number of gamified sporting events, with the NFTs available to be traded on the nWay marketplace.

The IOC will receive royalties for each NFT sold on the marketplace as all ‘digital pins’ are licensed through the IOC’s official Olympic licensing program.

Coming just before the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing, the launch of the game signals the next step in the partnership between the IOC and nWay, which began ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games last year and saw the pair launch an NFT collection, ‘Olympic Heritage Collection’ in June.

nWay CEO, Taehoon Kim, said the game provides the chance for fans to “own a piece of Olympic history” for free.

“We intend to support the game with continuous updates in the months to come, to keep the players engaged, and the Olympic spirit ongoing,” Kim said.

The game will be available in every country where the Apple App Store and Google Play operate, with the game notable not permitted in China due to the country’s strict rules on mobile games and cryptocurrency.

The news comes as the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are due to begin with the opening ceremony scheduled to take place Friday at 8pm local Beijing time (11pm AEDT).

As reported recently by Ministry of Sport, the organisers of the upcoming Winter Olympics are facing continuing challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with financial concerns as a report emerged the organisers didn’t report a mass amount of Games-related expenses.