no because if pro gamers can be athletes then pretty much any other pro can call themselves atheletes under the same logic... for example pro poker players as spdk1 mentioned above.
Athletics is about physical events.

No, because what pro-gamers do isn't exactly athletic and so they shouldn't be considered athletes. Might as well call Warhammer players, chess players etc. athletes if we go down that route.

Is a chess contestant considered an athlete? i don't think so. same goes with video games.

No one who isn't an athlete, should be considered an "athlete". I'm sorry, but that's a stupid question. No, a pro gamer, is not an athlete. In fact many of them are considerably in bad shape and health, because they're not very active and have horrible diets. Pro racers are not athletes. Pro billiards or card players, are not athletes, and those are not "sports". Hell, pro golfers barely qualify as athletes, and honestly it's a tough argument to label them as such.

An athlete is someone who takes part in athletics, physical sports and activities. Not someone in who sits in a chair and presses buttons.

So would you question the athletisism of those who compete in the paralympics?

24 people actually picked yes? HAHAHAHA

I question your reading comprehension.

Dear God No!

If anything, people who "train" in "playing games" as a damn "sport" and try to pass off as some diehard shmuck should be dragged to the streets, pointed at, and laughed at and humiliated till they crawl back into their mother's basements and hugg their knees and sob theirselves to sleep.

Darts, pool, archery, bowling, and chess are all legitimate sports that require little physical movement, why not gaming? Also a lot of top pros actually eat healthy and exercise because it improves their game. Gaming requires insane amounts of reflexes, muscle memory, and stamina at the pro level. Sounds pretty physical to me, I can see how people disagree with them being labeled as athletes, "sportsman" is much better. I also don't think it's a "stupid question" when Korea and the US are recognizing them as athletes.

If you're not joking I feel sorry for you.