Saudi Arabia to Host First Olympic Esports Games in 2025
Saudi Arabia will host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2025, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Friday.
“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that it has partnered with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games 2025 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the IOC said in a statement. The proposal will be presented to the IOC Session on the eve of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The partnership between the IOC and the Saudi NOC is set to last 12 years, with the Olympic Esports Games to be held regularly.
Riyadh is already set to host the Esports World Cup in July and August, where 2,500 gamers will compete for $60 million in prize money. The IOC, aiming to attract a younger audience while preserving Olympic tradition, held an initial “Olympic e-sport week” in Singapore in June 2023, featuring ten mixed-gender category events.
Last October, the IOC established an “e-sport commission” led by David Lappartient, president of the international cycling union (UCI), to explore a dedicated esports competition. However, IOC president Thomas Bach has previously stated that esports may not become part of the traditional Olympics. “With respect to esports, our values are and remain the red line that we will never cross,” Bach said.
Despite his reservations, Bach expressed excitement about the partnership with Saudi Arabia. “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,” he said. “The Olympic Esports Games will greatly benefit from this experience. By partnering with the Saudi NOC we have also ensured that the Olympic values are respected.”
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Minister of Sport and President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, voiced his enthusiasm for the partnership. “Saudi Arabia is hugely excited by the prospect of partnering with the IOC and helping to welcome a completely new era for international sport,” he said. “We believe that to take part in the Olympic Games is one of the greatest honours any athlete can achieve. And we are proud to support the writing of a new chapter in Olympic history that has the potential to inspire new dreams and new ambitions for literally millions of athletes around the world.”
Saudi Arabia’s bid to become a sports powerhouse is part of its Vision 2030 reform agenda, aimed at preparing for a prosperous post-oil future. The Kingdom has already hosted various major sporting events, including ATP Tour events, Formula 1 and MotoGP Grands Prix, the Dakar rally-raid, and high-profile boxing matches.
(Source:AFP)
