Saudi Arabia to Stage First-Ever Olympic Esports Games in 2025
Saudi Arabia is set to make history as the host of the inaugural Olympic Esports Games, scheduled to take place in Riyadh in 2027. The announcement was made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on July 23, 2024, during the 142nd IOC session on the eve of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Minister of Sports and President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, expressed his excitement about the partnership, stating that hosting the Olympic eSports Games aligns with Saudi Arabia's ambition to create new dreams for millions of athletes worldwide.
The specific game titles for the 2027 event have not been officially announced yet. However, expected titles likely to feature align with the IOC's values and include League of Legends, Rocket League, Gran Turismo, FIFA, Street Fighter, Just Dance, Virtual Taekwondo, and Tennis Clash. Violent shooter games like Call of Duty and Counter-Strike are anticipated to be excluded to comply with Olympic values.
In a significant step in the sports industry's growth in Saudi Arabia, the partnership between the IOC and Saudi Arabia's National Olympic Committee (NOC) is expected to bring a new era of esports to the kingdom. Work is underway to select a city, venue, time, titles, and qualification parameters for the inaugural Olympic eSports Games.
The IOC aims to create an event showcasing mainstream, non-violent esports aligning with Olympic principles, focusing on youth engagement and international representation without necessarily awarding traditional Olympic medals. This decision came after a unanimous vote during the 142nd IOC session.
The Olympic eSports Games will be held regularly, according to Thomas Bach's statement after unveiling the 12-year partnership between the IOC and NOC. The IOC has been engaging with esports since 2018 and organized the Olympic eSports Week 2023 in Singapore.
Saudi Arabia has a rich history of hosting international tournaments, including eSports, motorsports, football, and golf. In 2024, the kingdom hosted the inaugural eSports World Cup, attracting over 1,500 players from top eSports clubs worldwide.
The decision to host the Olympic eSports Games is part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, a social and economic transformation plan aimed at making the kingdom a global hub for sports and entertainment. The kingdom has registered over 330,000 female athletes and 40 Women's national teams in a quest for gender equality.
Patty Moser, director of UC eSports, believes that the inclusion of esports in the Olympics will attract a younger generation and onboard new sponsors. The IOC's decision to create the Olympic eSports Games is a testament to the growing recognition and acceptance of esports as a legitimate sport.
As the date for the inaugural Olympic eSports Games approaches, the world eagerly awaits the official game titles and the spectacle that Saudi Arabia promises to deliver. Prince Abdulaziz invited the world to join Saudi Arabia in 2027 to celebrate this historic event.
[1] IOC Announces Olympic Esports Games [2] Olympic Esports Games: What We Know So Far [3] Esports World Cup Comes to Riyadh in 2025 [4] The Expanding World of Esports in Saudi Arabia
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