Saudi Arabia to host first ever Olympic Esports Games in 2025

Following another attempt for esports fans to binge-watch esports tournaments, the International Olympic Committee have now joined hands with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia. Both parties have reportedly signed a 12-year contract, during which, the Olympic Esports Games will be held regularly in Saudi Arabia starting 2025.

“National teams and pride are still underdeveloped in esports, but I am certain this will change over time. This is a big step for the sport, not so much for the short-term impact but the long-term prospect,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation.

Also Read: IOC aiming to add esports games to Olympics once more

The first Esports World Cup and now Olympic Esports Games, Saudi Arabia have been making some bold moves. “We are a youthful nation, with over 23 million gamers. Our kingdom has become a global hub for professional esports. This is a natural next step for our young athletes, our country and the global esports community,” said the Saudi Minister of Sport.

The Dilemma

Having an official Olympic Esports Games is a huge step towards progressing the esports industry, we also need to remember who the hosts are in the Esports World Cup has already been quite controversial, with many popular names in the esports industry refusing to be a part of it.

Furthermore, the last time Esports were a part of the Olympics, there were no actual esports titles apart from Fortnite. A statement from IOC’s President Thomas Bach further lowers the confidence. “By partnering with the Saudi NOC we have also ensured that the Olympic values are respected, in particular, in regards to the game titles on the programme, the promotion of gender equality and engagement with the young audience, which is embracing esports,” he said.

The Olympics previously did not allow games that depict violence, however, there is a silver lining this time around. As per reports, the Olympic Esports Games might be looking to finally expand their horizon with the addition of games like Street Fighter and League of Legends.

As of now, there has been no official announcement on which games will be included or even the planned dates for the event. All players can do now is to hope that if the Olympics want to make their esports initiative a success, they will need to add popular esports titles in the mix.