A New Chapter in The Olympic Games: Saudi Arabia Announces Hosting Of Olympic ESports Games

A new chapter in the Olympic Games is about to begin. Saudi Arabia has announced a partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), under which Saudi Arabia will host the Olympic eSports Games.

The IOC is a non-governmental sports organization headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was founded in 1894 and is the authority responsible for organizing the modern Olympic Games. The IOC is a non-profit, civil, non-governmental, international organization committed to building a better world through sport.

Formation of National Olympic Committee (NOC)

NOCs are the national components of the worldwide Olympic Movement. NOCs, subject to the control of the IOC, organize the participation of their people in the Olympic Games. They can nominate cities in their respective regions as candidates for future Olympic Games. NOCs also promote the development of athletes and the training of coaches and officials at the national level within their geography.

IOC Executive Board

The IOC Executive Board was established in 1921 and consists of the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), four Vice-Presidents and 10 other members. All members of the Executive Board are elected by majority vote by secret ballot by the session for a four-year term.

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games, officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad and officially branded as Paris 2024, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place in Paris, France from July 26 to August 11, 2024, with some competitions starting on July 24.

IOC and Saudi NOC partnership

The IOC has announced that the partnership between the IOC and the Saudi NOC will have a duration of 12 years and Olympic eSports Games will be held regularly.

IOC President Thomas Bach said, "We are very fortunate to be able to work with the Saudi NOC on the Olympic eSports Games as it has great – if not unique – expertise in the field of eSports with all stakeholders. The Olympic eSports Games will benefit greatly from this experience. By partnering with the Saudi NOC we have also ensured that Olympic values are respected, particularly with regard to the game titles on the programme, promoting gender equality and engaging with a young audience that is increasingly embracing eSports." His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Minister of Sport of Saudi Arabia and President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic & Paralympic Committee, said, “Saudi Arabia is extremely excited by the prospect of partnering with the IOC and welcoming an entirely new era for international sports. We believe that participating in the Olympic Games is one of the greatest achievements any athlete can achieve. And we are proud to support the writing of a new chapter in Olympic history that has the potential to inspire new dreams and new ambitions for hundreds of millions of athletes worldwide. As the first ever eSports Olympic Games, obviously, much still needs to be considered and planned with the IOC, but we are committed to hosting a special event that honours and celebrates Olympic values, while boldly seizing the momentum to advance eSports with the international platform eSports and its athletes deserve. An open invitation to the world to join us in 2025 and celebrate this moment together.” "We are a young nation with over 23 million gamers embracing the future with innovative thinking and partnerships. With the support of His Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, our Kingdom has become a global hub for professional esports. Hosting this event is the result of the industry's rich past, exciting present and promising future in the Kingdom. It is a natural next step for our young athletes, our country and the global esports community," Al Faisal added.

Growth of sports in Saudi Arabia

The above partnerships come at a time of significant growth for sports overall in Saudi Arabia and are driven by social and economic transformation under the country's Vision 2030. Since 2018, the Kingdom has been trusted to provide some of the biggest global sporting events, with over 100 international events for both male and female athletes, including eSports, football, motorsports, tennis, equestrian and golf, attracting over 2.6 million sports fans.

As a result, sport has become a growing part of everyday life in Saudi Arabia at every level from amateur to elite. Overall sports participation levels have more than tripled since 2015 to nearly 50 per cent of the country’s population. The number of sports federations has also tripled during this time, growing from 32 to 98, with the Saudi eSports Federation being one example of the growth. Up to 67 per cent of the Saudi population consider themselves gamers, with an ever-growing number, currently 100, of professional eSports players pursuing full-time careers.