The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that the inaugural Olympic Esports Games will take place in Saudi Arabia in 2025. This decision follows the recent proposal by the IOC to create Olympic for esports.
The IOC has entered a 12-year partnership with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia to host the Olympic Esports Games. Work will now begin on selecting the host city and venue, determining the event’s timing, selecting titles, and establishing the qualification process for players. The IOC has emphasised collaboration with international federations already engaged in esports and NOCs that include esports in their activities.
Additionally, the IOC will establish a dedicated structure for the Olympic Esports Games, distinct from the traditional Olympic Games model, to address the unique aspects of esports financing and organisation.
The country’s sports minister and Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee president Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal remarked, “As a first ever Esports Olympic Games, obviously there is still much to consider and plan with the IOC, but we are committed to hosting a special event that respects and celebrates the Olympic values while boldly seizing the momentum to drive esports forward with the international platform the sport and its athletes deserve.”
IOC president Thomas Bach stated, “By partnering with the Saudi NOC we have 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.”
Indian esports, already on the rise, stands to gain significantly from this development. Following a bronze medal win in Dota 2 at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and competing in five titles at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, India’s esports scene is on track for further growth.
Expressing his enthusiasm for this development, Nodwin Gaming co-founder and MD Akshat Rathee said, “Together with our partners in the GEF and the EWC, Nodwin Gaming is eager to build esports in our core growth markets, seizing this opportunity for hope and glory.”
SuperGaming CEO and co-founder Roby John commented, “The IOC’s embrace of the Olympic Esports Games honours the dedication and skill of millions of gamers worldwide. It goes beyond just competition; it elevates esports to a global platform, encouraging international collaboration and potentially ushering in a new generation of athletes.”
CyberPowerPC India COO Vishal Parekh stated, “Esports being integrated under the banner of the pinnacle of sports events in the world will bring further legitimacy to this form of sport and encourage a new generation of esports talent to rise from the country.”
The IOC launched its first esports pilot, the Olympic Virtual Series, in 2021 followed by the Olympic Esports Week in Singapore in June 2023. This event brought together over 130 players from around the world, competing in 10 mixed-gender categories, attracting over 500,000 unique participants and six million views, with 75 per cent of the audience aged 13 to 34.