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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has officially decided to launch the Olympic Esports Games 2025 with the inaugural event taking place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The decision was endorsed concordantly at the 142nd IOC session in Paris making it a remarkable step towards the progress and transformation for Olympic Esports on the global stage.
The IOC’s partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been established for a 12-year term, which emphasizes the expertise and strong presence in the esports arena of Saudi Arabia. The president of the IOC, Mr. Thomas Bach, describes this move as “...a new era for the IOC” and “...keeping up with the pace of the digital revolution”.
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The Vision 2030 initiative shows the Kingdom’s commitment to esports, and it seeks to transform the country into a hub for sports and entertainment. This is led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with key players such as the Minister of Sport HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal and IOC member Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud offering their dedication to the empowerment of the youth through esports.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia shows it has a proven track record in hosting major esports events; with over 1700 elite players from over 80 countries and attracting over four million fans in recent years. The Kingdom shows is well-positioned to host this major event with its growing community of 23.5 million gamers, with half of them being female. The event will focus on promoting gender equality and upholding Olympic values as it engages the younger audience.
Games to be added to the event may include League of Legends, iRacing, NBA2K, Tekken, Street Fighter, Rocket League, EA Sports FC. Exclusions include first-person shooter (FPS) games. This is because the IOC values are about promoting peace and respect through sport, and these games do not align with them. So games like Counter-Strike 2 or the Call of Duty series.
More information will be published on the venue selection for the inaugural Olympic Esports Games, the official game titles, and the qualification process for players.
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Written by Jeffrey Osei-Agyeman
