The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed that the first edition of the Olympic Esports Games will be held in 2027 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was also announced that the Road to the Olympic Esports Games will start this year.
For the organisation of the Olympic Esports Games, the IOC is partnering with the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC), while the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) will become a founding partner.
IOC president Thomas Bach said: “There is now a very clear roadmap to the historic first-ever Olympic Esports Games. With the Road to the Olympic Esports Games starting this year, the Games are becoming a reality. This is further evidence of the strength of the partnership between the IOC and the SOPC in many areas.”
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, president of the SOPC and Minister of Sports, added: “Today the journey to the first-ever Olympic Esports Games is clear, with an immediate timeline that works for all parties and sees the Road to Olympic Esports Games start in 2025. Together with the IOC there is real momentum, unity and clarity on the way forward, with the focus now on delivering. “Already Saudi Arabia is looking forward to welcoming the world and playing its part to help the dreams of so many esports athletes come true. Just as we are seeing across all sports in the Kingdom, there is real growth and new opportunities to grasp as part of an exciting future for all.”
The partnership between the IOC and the SOPC comes at a time of significant growth of sport overall in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom has staged more than 100 international events for both male and female athletes, including esports, football, motorsports, tennis, equestrian and golf, attracting more than three million sports fans. Overall sports participation levels have more than tripled since 2015 to almost 50 per cent of the country’s population. The number of sports federations has also increased threefold during this time, from 32 to 97.
A joint committee of the IOC and the SOPC has been set up to steer the Olympic Esports Games.