IOC confirms 2025 debut for Olympic Esports Games in Saudi Arabia

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach delivers a speech on the first day of the 142nd IOC Session ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, on July 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

The inaugural Olympic Esports Games will take place in Saudi Arabia in 2025.

PARIS, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The creation of the Olympic Esports Games has been confirmed during the ongoing 142nd Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) here on Tuesday, scheduled for 2025 in Saudi Arabia.

"This is truly a new era for the IOC," said IOC president Thomas Bach. "With the confirmation by the IOC Session of the creation of the Olympic Esports Games, we are keeping up with the pace of the digital revolution."

The IOC announced on July 12 that it has partnered with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in the country in 2025, which has been endorsed by the IOC executive board unanimously.

"The esports community, represented in our Esports Commission, has enthusiastically engaged with this initiative. This is further proof of the attractivity of the Olympic brand and the values it stands for among young people," said Bach.

Screenshot from the IOC website.

"The NOC of Saudi Arabia will bring great - if not unique - experience in the field of esports to this project. This partnership is based on the Olympic Charter and the Olympic values," he added.

HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Minister of Sport and President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, emphasized the significance of the initiative.

"Our commitment to esports is simply a reflection of the world our young people live in. We now all have the chance to write new Olympic history together," he said.

"The story of sport in Saudi Arabia is a story of transformation," added IOC member HRH Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, who is also a board member of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

Thomas Bach speaks during the Day 1 press conference of the 142nd International Olympic Committee Session in Paris, France on July 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Hou Zhaokang)

"With over 23.5 million gamers, many of whom are women, hosting the Olympic Esports Games in 2025 is a natural progression in our journey to open up Saudi Arabia to the world and the world to Saudi Arabia," she said.

Saudi Arabia has quickly become a hub for esports, hosting numerous international tournaments with significant participation and global viewership in the last two years.

According to the IOC, the planning for the Olympic Esports Games will commence immediately, focusing on the selection of a city and venue, game titles, and the qualification process for participants.

Additionally, the IOC will establish a dedicated structure for the Games, distinct from the traditional Olympic model, to better address the unique nature of esports.

People attend the first day of competition at the Olympic ESports Week 2023 held in Singapore on June 23, 2023. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua)

Bach again addressed the Olympic Esports Games at a press conference later on Tuesday, saying that "It is clearly a milestone because we are entering a new ground, but we are entering this new ground on a very firm base."

The IOC held the Esports Forum in July 2018 following the sixth Olympic Summit in Lausanne the previous year, during which the development of Esports was brought up as a main topic.

In 2023, the Olympic Esports Week was held in Singapore, after which Bach asked the IOC Esports Commission at the 141st IOC Session in Mumbai, India to study the creation of the Olympic Esports Games.