THE International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced it has partnered with Saudi Arabia’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) to host the inaugural esports Olympics in 2025.
The groundbreaking move follows the IOC’s recent announcement that the IOC Executive Board (EB) has proposed an Olympic Esports Games. The proposal will be presented at the upcoming IOC Session.
ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The partnership between the IOC and the Saudi NOC spans 12 years, with the Olympic Esports Games being held on a regular basis.
“We are very fortunate to be able to work with the Saudi NOC on the Olympic Esports, as they have great — even unique — expertise in the field of esports with all its stakeholders. The Olympic Esports will benefit greatly from this experience,” IOC President Thomas Bach said as quoted by BetweenFriday (12/7).
“Through the partnership with the Saudi NOC, we also ensure that the Olympic values are respected, in particular, regarding the game titles in the program, the promotion of gender equality, and engagement with young audiences, who love esports.”
HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Minister of Sports and President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, welcomed the prospect of a partnership with the IOC for a new era in international sport.
Also read: To the G-20 Leaders, the IOC President Calls on the World Association
“We believe that participating in the Olympic Games is one of the greatest honors any athlete can achieve. And we are proud to support writing a new chapter in Olympic history that has the potential to inspire new dreams and ambitions for millions of athletes around the world,” said Abdulaziz.
“As the first Esports Games, there is still much to consider and plan with the IOC, but we are committed to hosting a special event that honors and celebrates the Olympic values while boldly using the momentum to drive esports forward together.”
“The world will have an open invitation to join us in 2025 and celebrate this moment together.”
The partnership comes at a time of significant growth in sport in Saudi Arabia, driven by the country’s social and economic transformation under Vision 2030.
Since 2018, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been trusted to host some of the biggest global sporting events, which have been held for more than a year. There are around 100 international sporting events held, including
esports, soccer, motor racing, tennis, horse riding, and golf, attracting more than 2.6 million sports fans. (Z-6)
#Esports #Olympics #Held #Saudi #Arabia
