The first Olympic esports event, due to be held in 2027, was postponed to 2025 and will no longer be held in Saudi Arabia due to the breakdown of the partnership between the host country and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
“The parties involved have mutually agreed to end their cooperation on the Olympic esports competition,” the IOC said in a statement on Thursday.
“At the same time, both parties remain committed to pursuing their respective esports ambitions on separate paths,” the statement continued. The partnership, which has now concluded, involved the IOC, the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC) and the Esports World Cup Confederation.
“This approach will better align the Olympic esports competitions with the long-term ambitions of the Olympic Movement and further expand the opportunities presented by the Olympic esports competitions, with the goal of hosting the first competitions as soon as possible,” the IOC said.
The IOC will not include games deemed 'too violent' in the Olympic esports games, excluding the most popular esports titles including Valorant, League of Legends, Counter-Strike and DotA. Rocket League, NBA 2K, and Street Fighter have been touted as potential inclusions.
Saudi Arabia will no longer host the Games
Over the past five years, Saudi Arabia has invested significantly in esports through the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). The country organizes and hosts the Esports World Cup, an annual multi-game esports tournament with large prize pools. Through Savvy Games Group, the fund also owns ESL Gaming, a major tournament organizer primarily known for Counter-Strike.
Team Falcons, a Saudi esports organization founded by Mosaad “Msdossary” Al-Dossary, is known for offering hefty salaries across multiple esports titles. The team's financial backers have not been disclosed, but Dot Esports reports that the team is connected in some way to the Saudi Arabian regime.
“Following a constructive review of the Olympic Esports Gaming Initiative, we have mutually agreed as follows: [the aforementioned partners] The Esports World Cup Foundation said in a separate statement on LinkedIn, “We have decided to conclude our cooperation on this project.”
Saudi Arabia's expansion into esports and gaming remains controversial due to the well-documented human rights violations taking place in the country (Amnesty International). PIF, along with Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, recently agreed to acquire Electronic Arts for $55 billion, pending regulatory approval.
The IOC is now looking for a new venue for the inaugural Games, with Singapore emerging as a frontrunner after a week-long exhibition event takes place there in 2023.
rocket league
- released
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July 7, 2015
- ESRB
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E: Mild Lyrics for Everyone
