The International Olympic Committee () has that the inaugural edition of the Olympic Esports Games will take place in in 2025 as part of a 12-year partnership with the country’s National Olympic Committee. The host city, venue(s) and dates are yet to be determined as are the games that will be included and the qualification process for each.
The IOC says that international federations and national Olympic committees that are already involved in a digital version of their sport and esports in general will be its first options for partners. The organization took a similar approach to a trial event , which saw players compete in the likes of Gran Turismo, , Just Dance, Zwift and even barely anyone had ever heard of.
That said, the IOC may be looking to bring other legitimately popular esports into the fold. According to L’Equipe, the organization is in talks with the publishers of Rocket League, Street Fighter and the biggest esport of all, League of Legends, to include those games. The Olympic Esports Games may take place every two years, with South Korea and the US said to be in discussions to host future installments.
The IOC had been whether to run an official esports event under its banner, and the organization is finally going for it. However, opting for Saudi Arabia as the inaugural Olympic Esports Games host is a contentious choice given the country’s dismal human rights record.
The nation has been using , and esports in an attempt to clean up its image. It’s been plowing billions of dollars into esports and , with publishers to and hosting the Esports World Cup, which is currently taking place with a $60 million prize pool. A state-funded company now owns 40 percent of the esports market, according to a .
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