Saudi Arabia to host inaugural Olympic Esports Games: IOC

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Saudi Arabia is set to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2025 under an agreement that was announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Gulf state on Friday.

“We are very fortunate to be able to work with the Saudi National Olympic Committee (Saudi NOC) on the Olympic Esports Games because it has great – if not unique – expertise in the field of esports with all its stakeholders,” IOC president Thomas Bach said in a statement.

The games are part of a 12-year partnership between the IOC and the Saudi NOC, which will add to the kingdom’s growing portfolio of such events. Last October, Saudi Arabia launched an annual Esports World Cup, which will include the most popular games in the world and have the largest prize pool in esports history.

The first edition of the annual competition, which features 1,500 gamers competing in games such as Call of Duty and League of Legends, is currently being held in Riyadh from July 3 to August 25.

The IOC and Saudi NOC expect the Olympic Esports Games to be held regularly over the duration of the agreement.

The agreement between the parties will be ratified at the IOC Session, which will be held on the eve of the Olympic Games in Paris. Following the ratification of the deal, work will commence to select a city and venue for the inaugural Olympic Esports Games, determine the included titles, and finalise additional details.

Saudi Arabia: An emerging sporting hub

Meanwhile, the partnership between the Saudi NOC and IOC coincides with a period of remarkable growth in sports in Saudi Arabia as part of Vision 2030, an initiative aimed at social and economic transformation.

Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in sports, including soccer, motorsports, boxing, and golf. Since 2018, the kingdom has also hosted more than 100 international events for both male and female athletes, including esports, football, tennis, equestrian, and golf, drawing in more than 2.6 million sports fans.

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund launched a new company in August 2023 to accelerate the growth of the sports sector in the kingdom and across the MENA region.

The new company, SRJ Sports Investments, will invest in acquiring and creating new sports events IP, commercial rights of popular and prominent sports competitions and hosting major global events in Saudi Arabia.

Furthermore, the Public Investment Fund is reportedly in discussions with multiple boxing stakeholders to create a league, potentially reshaping the sport’s competitive landscape.