The International Olympic Committee announced that the first 'Olympic eSports Games' will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2025, and that eSports will be held regularly in the Olympics for the next 12 years.



The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which organises the Olympic Games, has announced that it will partner with the Saudi Arabian National Olympic Committee (NOC) to host the first Olympic esports games in Saudi Arabia in 2025.

IOC announces Olympic Esports Games to be hosted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-announces-olympic-esports-games-to-be-hosted-in-the-kingdom-of-saudi-arabia

Saudi Arabia Clinches 12-Year Agreement to Host Esports Olympics - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-12/saudi-arabia-clinches-12-year-agreement-to-host-esports-olympics

Saudi Money Makes a Big Splash in Video Games - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/12/technology/saudi-arabia-video-game-investment.html/

First-Ever Olympic ESports Games Will Be Held in Saudi Arabia
https://gamerant.com/first-olympic-esports-games-saudi-arabia-2025/

The first Olympic Esports Games will take place in Saudi Arabia in 2025
https://www.engadget.com/the-first-olympic-esports-games-will-take-place-in-saudi-arabia-in-2025-154637804.html

The first-ever Olympic Esports Games are coming in 2025, and of course they're being held in Saudi Arabia | PC Gamer
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/the-first-ever-olympic-esports-games-are-coming-in-2025-and-of-course-theyre-being-held-in-saudi-arabia/

Saudi Arabia to host inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2025 - Dot Esports
https://dotesports.com/general/news/saudi-arabia-to-host-inaugural-olympic-esports-games-in-2025

The IOC is positive about making ' eSports ,' which regards gaming as a sporting event, an official Olympic event , and is hosting the Olympic eSports Series , a world tournament for eSports that will bear the name of the Olympics, in 2023. The Olympic eSports Series is a global eSports tournament established by the IOC in collaboration with international sports federations and game companies, in which athletes from Japan have participated in multiple events, with Japanese athletes winning medals in the archery and baseball divisions.




Instead, the IOC and the Saudi Arabian NOC have announced the 'Olympic Esports Games', which will see the IOC and the NOC host regular Olympic Esports Games over a 12-year partnership.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: 'We are extremely fortunate to be working with the Saudi Arabian NOC on the Olympic Esports Games, as they have incredible, if not unique, expertise in the field of esports. The Olympic Esports Games will greatly benefit from this experience. Partnering with the Saudi Arabian NOC also ensures that the Olympic values are respected, particularly in the program's game titles, promoting gender equality and engaging with a younger audience that is embracing esports.'

Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki bin Faisal, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Sports and Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said: 'Saudi Arabia is excited to partner with the IOC to help usher in an entirely new era of international sport. We believe that participating in the Olympic Games is one of the highest honors an athlete can receive, and we are proud to help write a new chapter in Olympic history that has the potential to inspire new dreams and ambitions for millions of athletes around the world. There is much more to explore and plan with the IOC for the first-ever Olympic Esports Games. We are committed to hosting an extraordinary event that respects and celebrates Olympic values, and to seize the momentum to advance esports with an international platform worthy of sports and athletes. People from all over the world will be participating in the Olympic Esports Games and celebrating the Games in 2025.'



Additionally, Saudi Arabia's Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud said, 'We are a youthful nation with more than 23 million gamers, ready to embrace the future with new thinking and partnerships. Saudi Arabia is a global hub for professional esports teams. Hosting the Olympic Esports Games represents the Saudi Arabian esports industry's rich past, exciting present and promising future, and will be a natural next step for our young athletes and the global esports community.'

Since 2018, Saudi Arabia has been hosting one of the world's largest esports events, and the Esports World Cup, the world's largest esports tournament with a total prize pool of over 9 billion yen, will be held from July 4 to August 25, 2024.

The first 'Esports World Cup', the world's largest e-sports festival with a total prize of over 9 billion yen, will finally be held in Saudi Arabia - GIGAZINE



According to the Saudi Arabian NOC, the number of gamers in the country is growing rapidly, with 67% of the Saudi Arabian population considering themselves gamers. In addition, the number of players active as full-time e-sports athletes is also growing, reaching 100 as of July 2024.

Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, a member of the IOC Executive Board and member of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee Executive Board, said: 'It is inspiring to see the growing trend of female participation in esports. Guided by the leadership of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, I am committed to empowering women in sport and society overall under Vision 2030. I see firsthand the enormous positive impact sport has on women and girls and look forward to seeing more women participate in the upcoming Olympic esports games.'

The IOC has stated that it is necessary to create a dedicated structure within the organization that is clearly separate from the organizational and financial model of the Olympics, and has emphasized that a different approach to funding and organization is required to accommodate the special characteristics of the Olympic e-sports games. The IOC will begin discussions to determine the details necessary to host the tournament, such as deciding the host city of the Olympic e-sports games, deciding the specific dates, selecting the competition titles, and deciding the selection process for participants.

Shooting games and real-time strategy games are very popular in e-sports, but in the past, IOC President Thomas Bach said, 'If e-sports were selected as an Olympic event in Paris, it would not include particularly popular game titles,' and mentioned that titles containing violent depictions are not suitable for playing as Olympic events.

Even if e-sports becomes an Olympic sport, violent titles will be excluded - GIGAZINE



In fact, even in the aforementioned Olympic e-sports series, shooting games, which are popular in e-sports, are not played in their original form, but instead are played as competitions that eliminate violent content.

Olympic Esports Series 2023 ISSF Challenge Featuring Fortnite [Japanese Broadcast] - YouTube


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