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Paris, July 24 (HS). Olympic esports games will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2025. This was confirmed during the ongoing 142nd session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday.
IOC President Thomas Bach said, “This is truly a new era for the IOC. With the confirmation of the creation of the Olympic eSports Games by the IOC Session, we are keeping up with the pace of the digital revolution.”
The IOC announced on July 12 that it has partnered with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia to host the inaugural Olympic eSports Games in the country in 2025, a move unanimously supported by the IOC Executive Board.
“The esports community represented in our eSports Commission has enthusiastically participated in this initiative. This is further proof of the attractiveness of the Olympic brand and its value among young people,” Bach said.
“The Saudi Arabian NOC will bring great experience in the field of eSports to this project. This partnership is based on the Olympic Charter and Olympic values,” he added.
HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Minister of Sports and President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, stressed the importance of the initiative.
“Our commitment to eSports is simply a reflection of the world our youth live in. Now we all have a chance to write new Olympic history together,” he added.
“The story of sport in Saudi Arabia is a story of change,” said IOC Member HRH Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, who is also a board member of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
“With over 23.5 million gamers, many of whom are women, hosting the Olympic esports Games in 2025 is a natural progression in our journey to open up Saudi Arabia to the world, and the world to Saudi Arabia,” he added.
Saudi Arabia has quickly become a hub for eSports, hosting multiple international tournaments over the past two years, attracting significant participation and global viewership.
According to the IOC, planning for the Olympic eSports Games will begin immediately, focusing on the selection of the city and venue, game titles, and the qualification process for participants. Additionally, the IOC will establish a dedicated structure for the Games, which will differ from the traditional Olympic model, to better address the unique nature of eSports.
“This is obviously a milestone because we are entering a new area, but we are entering this new area on a very strong footing,” Bach said at a press conference on Tuesday regarding the Olympic eSports Games.
Following the Sixth Olympic Summit in Lausanne last year, in July 2018 the IOC held an eSports Forum, during which the development of eSports was brought up as a key topic.
In 2023, Olympic eSports Week was held in Singapore, after which Bach asked the IOC eSports Commission at the 141st IOC Session in Mumbai to study the creation of Olympic eSports Games.