BREAKING: Olympics Taps Saudi Arabia for Olympic Esports Games
The International Olympic Committee has signed a 12-year partnership agreement with the National Olympic Committee of Saudi Arabia to host and operate the Olympic Esports Games. The inaugural event will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2025. According to a release, the new competition will be held "regularly" but no specific frequency was revealed.
This is the second global esports initiative undertaken by the country, which is actively in the midst of hosting its inaugural Esports World Cup.
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The Olympics has shown at least some level of interest in esports for years now but has held firm to a stance against so-called "killing games" such as League of Legends and Counter-Strike. While the IOC has held some exhibitions in Street Fighter and Rocket League, its official virtual events have met some criticism from the broader esports landscape due to the lack of popular esport titles. Instead, the IOC has focused on sports simulation titles. Rather than Dota 2 or Valorant, the IOC's first foray into competitive gaming (called the Olympic Virtual Series) featured simulated sailing, cycling, and a mobile archery game.
It remains to be seen how the Saudi NOC's involvement will change things given that the country has now established partnerships with all the major publishers in the esports space through the EWC.
Trent has covered esports since the birth of the LCS. He also led content strategy and served as Senior Writer for The Esports Observer and Sports Business Journal, and worked on the development team for Rushdown Revolt.