 "The IOC and Saudi Arabia have ended their deal for Olympic Esports Games. Image: AFP")
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Saudi Arabia have ended their 12-year agreement to host the Olympic Esports Games in Riyadh. The decision was announced on Thursday, with the IOC stating that it was “mutually agreed that they will end their cooperation on the Olympic Esports Games” with the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC).
The deal was meant to bring an official Olympic event for competitive video gaming to Saudi Arabia, which has been investing heavily in global sports for the past few years to diversify its economy and improve its image worldwide as part of its Vision 2030 program. But just over a year after the deal was signed, both sides have now agreed to end their partnership.
What was the deal about?
The IOC-Saudi Arabia agreement was signed in July 2024, just before the Paris Olympics. It gave Riyadh the rights to host the Olympic Esports Games regularly for 12 years. The creation of the Olympic Esports Games was approved at the 142nd IOC Session.
The Esports Olympics were designed as an official Olympic event that would include competitive gaming titles inspired by traditional sports like cycling, sailing, archery, and racing simulations. The idea was to attract younger audiences and bring video gaming into the Olympic world in a structured way.
Saudi Arabia saw this project as an opportunity to engage with gaming fans all over the world. The kingdom has already invested billions of dollars in football, golf, and esports, including hosting the Esports World Cup, one of the biggest gaming tournaments in the world, for the past two years.
Why was the deal ended?
According to the IOC, the two sides “mutually agreed” to end their cooperation and follow separate paths for their esports ambitions.
“Both parties are committed to pursuing their own esports ambitions on separate paths. The IOC, for its part, will develop a new approach to the Olympic Esports Games, taking the feedback from the “Pause and Reflect” process into account, and pursue a new partnership model,” a statement read.
“This approach will be a chance to better fit the Olympic Esports Games to the long-term ambitions of the Olympic Movement and to spread the opportunities presented by the Olympic Esports Games more widely, with the objective of having the inaugural Games as soon as possible,” it added.