The inaugural Olympic Esports Games has been delayed by two years, with the new event now to be held in Saudi Arabia in 2027.
The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) flagship esports Games was announced last year and initially scheduled for 2025. However, an update from the IOC reveals the date has been switched to 2027, with the Saudi capital city of Riyadh still the host.
No explanation was given for the delay, however it was confirmed that qualification for the Games will begin this year.
In a further update, the IOC has named the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) as a founding partner of the Olympic Esports Games. The EWCF, which has been the driving force behind the Esports World Cup, will collaborate on game selection, tournament structures and ecosystem engagement at the Olympic Esports Games.
Thomas Bach, the IOC’s president, said: “There is now a very clear roadmap to the historic first-ever Olympic Esports Games. With the Road to the Olympic Esports Games starting this year, the Games are becoming a reality. This is further evidence of the strength of the partnership between the IOC and the SOPC in many areas.”
Olympic Esports Games vision
The vision for the Olympic Esports Games was agreed in July last year, when its creation was confirmed at the 142nd IOC Session. At the time, a 12-year hosting rights deal was agreed with the Saudi National Olympic Committee (NOC).
The Olympic Esports Games’ creation was announced following the conclusion of a review carried out by the IOC Esports Commission. In 2023, the commission was asked to study the creation of an Olympic Esports Games following the success of initiatives such as Olympic Esports Week.
The IOC emphasised that International Federations already engaged in an e-version of their sport that is considered for inclusion in the Olympic Esports Games will be the IOC’s first go-to partners. It added that the same will be true for National Olympic Committees that already include esports in their activities.
Why Saudi Arabia was selected
Saudi Arabia’s selection comes at a time of significant growth of sport overall in the country, and is driven by the country’s social and economic transformation under Vision 2030. Since 2018, Saudi Arabia has been entrusted with delivering some of the biggest global sports events, staging over 100 international events for both male and female athletes, including esports, football, motorsports, tennis, equestrian and golf, attracting over 2.6 million sports fans.
As many as 67% of the Saudi population consider themselves to be gamers, with an ever-increasing number, currently 100, of pro esports players pursuing full-time careers.
Saudi Arabia last year hosted the Esports World Cup, which is run by the Esports World Cup Foundation. The event featured 22 events in 21 different video game titles. It had the largest combined prize pool in esports history at over $60m.
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