Saudi Arabia will host the first-ever Esports Olympics in 2025, as announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This groundbreaking event is the result of a partnership between the IOC and Saudi Arabia’s National Olympic Committee (NOC).
The partnership, set to last 12 years, will feature regular Olympic Esports Games. Currently, Riyadh is hosting the Esports World Cup, where 2,500 gamers are competing for $60 million in prize money.
The IOC aims to blend Olympic tradition with modern trends to attract younger audiences. In June 2023, an esports week was held in Singapore, featuring ten mixed-gender events.
While IOC President Thomas Bach has expressed reservations about including esports in the traditional Olympics, he welcomed the collaboration with Saudi Arabia, emphasizing that Olympic values, such as gender equality and youth engagement, would be upheld.
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Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Faisal, the Saudi Minister of Sport, has expressed his excitement about hosting the event and contributing to a new era of international sport. He emphasized the significance of participating in the Olympic Games and the inspiration it brings to athletes worldwide.
Despite criticism of Saudi Arabia’s investment in sports as “sportswashing” due to its human rights record, the kingdom denies these accusations.
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