Saudi Arabia to Host IOC’s Olympic Esports Games

Saudi Arabia and the IOC are teaming up with the oil-rich kingdom set to host the Esports Olympics that launch next year as part of a 12-year partnership “with Olympic Esports Games held regularly,” the International Olympic Committee said in a statement Friday.

The announcement was made during the two-month Esports World Cup being staged in Riyadh. The IOC’s full membership will vote on the creation of an “Olympic Esports Games” at the 142nd IOC Session this summer in Paris, with approval considered a formality.

“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,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “The Olympic Esports Games will greatly benefit from this experience.”

Olympic Esports Week, which was held for the first time in Singapore in June, invited both professional and amateur players from across the world to compete in virtual sports competitions. The IOC said for last summer’s event, over 130 players competed in 10 mixed-gender category events.

Following the decision which will be taken by the IOC Session, work will begin on selecting a city and venue for the inaugural edition of the Olympic Esports Games, the timing of the event, titles to be included, qualification process for the players and more. The 2023 event included esports games for archery, baseball, chess, cycling, dance, motorsport, sailing, taekwondo, tennis and shooting through Fortnite.

Popular games such as Counter-Strike, Call of Duty and first-person shooter games have traditionally been opposed by the IOC, which said Friday 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 first partners. The same will be true for National Olympic Committees that already include esports in their activities.

At the same time, the IOC will create a new dedicated structure within its organisation, separated from the organisational and financial model for the Olympic Games.

Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal said the country “has become a global hub for professional esports.”

“This is a natural next step for our young athletes, our country and the global esports community,” said Prince Abdulaziz, who also heads the Saudi national Olympic committee.