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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that Saudi Arabia will host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2025.

Announced as part of a 12-year partnership between the IOC and the Saudi National Olympic Committee (SANOC), the multi-edition event has been described by the IOC as “a significant milestone in the evolving relationship between traditional sports and competitive gaming”.

To be staged “regularly”, with the first event next year, the hosting will be voted upon by the IOC General Assembly, which will be held on the eve of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 later this month.

The Olympic Esports Games decision was announced by the IOC following the conclusion of a review carried out by the IOC Esports Commission. Last year, the Commission was asked to study the creation of an Olympic Esports Games following the success of initiatives such as Olympic Esports Week.

If approved by the IOC Session, work will begin on selecting a city and venue for the inaugural edition of the Olympic Esports Games with organisers also needing to decide the specific timing of the event, the titles to be included, the qualification process for the players and further details.

Announcing the deal in an official post, IOC President, Thomas Bach stated “we are very fortunate to be able to work with the Saudi NOC on the Olympic Esports Games, because it has great - if not unique - expertise in the field of esports with all its stakeholders. The Olympic Esports Games will greatly benefit from this experience.”

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Minister of Sport and President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, expressed his enthusiasm, adding “Saudi Arabia is hugely excited by the prospect of partnering with the IOC and helping to welcome a completely new era for international sport.

“We are proud to support the writing of a new chapter in Olympic history that has the potential to inspire new dreams and ambitions for literally millions of athletes around the world.”

Hosting the Olympic Esports Games aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which aims to transform the nation’s social and economic landscape. Since 2018, Saudi Arabia has hosted over 100 international sports events, significantly increasing sports participation nationwide.

Events have included a swath of top-tier boxing events including heavyweight title fights in recent years, and created the LIV Golf project as a disruptive rival to the PGA Tour in the United States.

The Kingdom also will host the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in men’s football, the 2029 Asian Winter Games, which will take place in a ski resort specially built for it, and the multi-sport 2034 Asian Games in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

Image credit: Shutterstock.

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