Historic Move: Olympic Esports Games Set for 2025 in Saudi Arabia
Marking a major milestone, the inaugural Olympic Esports Games are set to debut in 2025, with Saudi Arabia hosting the event for the first time. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has partnered with the National Olympic Committee of Saudi Arabia to organize this historic occasion.
This follows the IOC Executive Board’s (EB) recent decision to establish the Olympic Esports Games. The games will be part of a 12-year partnership between the IOC and the Saudi NOC.
The deal between the two parties will be ratified during the IOC session, which will take place on the eve of the Olympics in Paris. Once the deal is signed, major decisions will be made, including the city and venue of the inaugural Esports Olympics.
Does That Mean That Esports Is Now Part Of the Olympics?
Seeing as it is called the Esports Olympics, the question on everyone’s mind is whether this means esports has become part of the traditional Olympics. IOC President Thomas Bach gave us the answer: ” With respect to esports, our values are and remain the red line that we will never cross.”
The Kingdom’s Growing Esports Scene
This is merely one bead in the long string of esports plans for the Kingdom. So far, they have launched an annual Esports World Cup, the first edition of which took off on July 3 and will continue until August 25.
In the Esports World Cup, thousands of gamers compete in games like Call of Duty and League of Legends to win prize pools that can reach as high as 3 million dollars.
Beyond Esports, the Kingdom has been heavily investing in many other sporting events including Formula 1, boxing, soccer and golf, all to propel its Vision 2030 forward of transforming into a diversified economy.
Stay tuned, as more details about the upcoming Olympic Esports Games will follow the Paris Olympics
