The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that the first Olympic Esports Games will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2025 as part of a 12-year collaboration with the country’s Olympic Committee. The host city, venues, and dates of the competition have not yet been determined, as well as the games and qualification process for each.
The IOC says that international federations and national Olympic committees that are already involved in the digital version of their sport and esports in general will be its first partners. The organization took a similar approach to last year’s event, where players competed in Gran Turismo, Fortnite, Just Dance, Zwift, and other games.
Of course, the IOC is looking to attract other popular esports disciplines. The organization is in talks with the publishers of Rocket League, Street Fighter, and the largest esports game, League of Legends. The Olympic Games in esports may be held every two years. South Korea and the United States are in talks to host future esports Olympics.
The IOC had been debating for years whether to host an official esports event under its flag and finally decided to take the plunge. However, the choice of Saudi Arabia as the host of the first Olympic Games in esports is surprising given the terrible human rights record of the country. The country uses sports and other events to try to clean up its image. It is investing billions of dollars in esports and gaming companies, establishing partnerships with publishers, and hosting the World Esports Championship with a $60 million prize pool.
Source: Engadget
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