The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has adopted a plan to launch the Olympic Esports Games in Saudi Arabia starting in 2025. This landmark decision will see the IOC partnering with the Saudi National Olympic Committee for a duration of 12 years, with the events slated to be held “regularly.”
“The purpose of this opening up is to adapt to the new digital world,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “The world is changing, and we are living a digital revolution.”
The IOC has long been working towards incorporating some form of esports involvement, but it has not considered adding it to the traditional Olympic Games due to its potential size. The Olympics require hosts to accommodate 10,500 athletes, and combining an esports event with the traditional event would add thousands more athletes and support staff.
The IOC has been exploring options around esports since late 2017 and, in 2018, along with the Global Association of International Sports Federations, held a forum with more than 150 people from the gaming industry.
In June 2023, the IOC held its inaugural Olympic Esports Week in Singapore, where more than 100 athletes competed in 10 virtual sports.
Building phase
The approval by the IOC membership kicks off an extensive yet still undefined process to build a separate structure with its own finances, organization, and qualification process. It will prioritize partnering with international federations and national Olympic committees that already include esports.
Bach noted that the work of the esports commission opened the door for the Saudi deal.
“We see there a growing community among the young generation, and we have been accompanying this change since 2017 with our esports forum,” Bach said. “So, we have done it step by step because we in the IOC, we had to learn a lot. But also, the esports community had to learn a lot until we could find some common ground.”
This significant development marks a pivotal moment for the IOC as it continues to embrace the evolving digital landscape and the rising popularity of esports.
