The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has just announced a groundbreaking 12-year partnership with the Saudi Arabian National Olympic Committee to host the Olympic Esports Games regularly. The inaugural Olympic Esports Games will kick off in Saudi Arabia in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IOC President Thomas Bach expressed his excitement about this collaboration, highlighting the Saudi Arabian committee’s extensive expertise in the esports world. He emphasized that the Olympic Esports Games would greatly benefit from this partnership, ensuring that Olympic values are upheld, especially in areas like game selection, promoting gender equality, and engaging with young players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With this partnership, the IOC is committed to hosting the Olympic Esports Games on a regular basis for the next 12 years. Proposals for the host city of the first event will be discussed during the IOC meeting scheduled before the 2024 Paris Olympics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee shared their enthusiasm, noting that with over 23 million gamers and strong backing from Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom is set to become a global hub for professional esports. Hosting this event is a natural progression for Saudi Arabia\u2019s past, present, and future in esports, benefiting their young athletes, the nation, and the global esports community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following this announcement, the IOC will begin selecting cities and venues for the first Olympic Esports Games, determining the event’s timeline, competition categories, athlete qualification processes, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n