Olympic Esports Games to be hosted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Esports Industry

July 12, 2024

Davide Xu

After announcing the Olympic Esports Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced a partnership with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games 2025 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

olympic esports games to take place in Saudi arabia for 12 years

Image Credit: IOC/NOC

The partnership for the Olympic Esports Games will last 12 years

According to a release by the IOC, the proposal will be made to the IOC Session, which is going to be held on the eve of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Driven by the country’s strategic vision of becoming a new hub for sports and entertainment that falls under Vision 2030, this partnership comes at a time when Saudi Arabia’s interest in the gaming and esports industry is booming. The Kingdom has been hosting the Esports World Cup in Riyadh and many investments have been made in leading companies such as tournament organizers ESL FACEIT.

“We are very fortunate to be able to work with the Saudi NOC on the Olympic Esports Games, because it has great – if not unique – expertise in the field of esports with all its stakeholders. The Olympic Esports Games will greatly benefit from this experience,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “By partnering with the Saudi NOC we have also ensured that the Olympic values are respected, in particular, with regard to the game titles on the programme, the promotion of gender equality and engagement with the young audience, which is embracing esports.”

The city and venues are yet to be confirmed

After today’s announcement and the decision taken by the IOC Session, work will begin on selecting a city and the venue for the first edition of the Olympic Esports Games. Other details such as the timing of the event, the game titles included, as well as the qualification process will be revealed at a later date.

The IOC has already emphasized that International Federations already engaged in an e-version of their sport that is considered for inclusion in the Olympic Esports Games will be the IOC’s priority partners. This will also include the National Olympic Committees that have already included esports in their activities.

Nonetheless, the IOC is looking to create a new dedicated structure within its organization which will be separate from the traditional Olympic Games.