Olympic Esports Games set to commence in 2025

• Work will start immediately on selecting a city and venue for the competitions

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has voted to create the first-ever Olympic Esports Games. 

Saudi Arabia will host the first edition in 2025 after the 142nd IOC in Paris unanimously endorsed the proposal by the IOC Executive Board (EB). 

Work will start immediately on selecting a city and venue for the Olympic Esports Games. Details like timing, included titles, player qualification process, and other specifics will be shared soon. 

A long-running partnership 

Saudi Arabia's National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the IOC have collaborated on the Games' organisation for the past 12 years.

The IOC will also establish a new structure within its organisation for the Olympic Esports Games, separate from the Olympic Games model, to address aspects of the Esports Games' financing and organisation. 

“This is truly a new era for the IOC. 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," said IOC President Thomas Bach. 

“The esports community, represented in our Esports Commission, has enthusiastically engaged with this initiative."

HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Minister of Sport and President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic committee, added: “Our commitment to esports is simply a reflection of the world our young people live in, and we now all have the chance to write new Olympic history together.”