Saudi Arabia to host inaugural Olympic Esports Games 2025

Saudi Arabia is to host inaugural Olympic Esports Games 2025, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Friday.

The IOC also said the partnership with the Saudi National Olympic Committee would be 12 years.

The decision will be ratified at the IOC Session to be held on the eve of the Olympic Games in Paris, after which work will begin on selecting a host city for the inaugural edition.

"We are very fortunate to be able to work with the Saudi NOC on the Olympic Esports Games, because it has great – if not unique – expertise in the field of esports with all its stakeholders. The Olympic Esports Games will greatly benefit from this experience," said IOC president Thomas Bach said.

The IOC had already launched the Olympic Virtual Series in 2021 and the Olympic E-sports Week in Singapore in June 2023.

At the time, the competition included 10 games with a sports background: baseball, archery, motorsports, cycling, chess, shooting, sailing, taekwondo, dancing and tennis.

Saudi Arabia has been investing heavily in sports including football, golf, boxing and Formula One in recent years.

The country says it wants to diversify its economy by making it less dependant on oil, and boost tourism as well.

However, Saudi Arabia's human rights record has been criticized, and critics say that the country is using sports to improve its image in a scheme they name sportswashing.