The inaugural Olympic Esports Games will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2025.

The historic decision was made after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced its unanimous decision to create the world’s first Olympic Esports Games.

In a unanimous vote at the 142nd IOC Session in Paris, the IOC endorsed the proposal by the IOC Executive Board (EB) unanimously.

In order to organise the first-ever Olympic Esports Games, the IOC has entered into a partnership with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia for 12 years, with the events slated to be held regularly.

“This is truly a new era for the IOC. With the confirmation by the IOC Session of the creation of the Olympic Esports Games, we are keeping up with the pace of the digital revolution. The esports community, represented in our Esports Commission, has enthusiastically engaged with this initiative. This is further proof of the attractivity of the Olympic brand and the values it stands for among young people,” IOC President Thomas Bach said.

“The NOC of Saudi Arabia will bring great – if not unique – experience in the field of esports to this project. This partnership is based on the Olympic Charter and the Olympic values,” he added.

Since 2018, the IOC has been taking interest in esports in a comprehensive manner. With the announcement of the Olympic Esports Games 2025, the IOC has made an effort to modernise the Olympics by introducing eSports and bringing a massive community of fans and gamers into its array of events. 

Earlier in 2023, the IOC staged a successful Olympic Esports Week in Singapore. 

A total of more than 130 athletes from 57 nations participated across 10 gaming events at the Olympic Esports Week 2023.

This new move also means that eSports will not be included as an additional event at the existing Olympics, but will have its own Olympic Esports Games to be staged every two years in-between the traditional Summer and Winter Olympics. Get Olympics Esports Games 2025 list.

Olympic Esports Games list 2025

While the IOC has not yet announced which sports and games could be included in the inaugural Olympic Esports Games 2025, the games that were staged in the Olympic Esports Week in 2023 could be added. Get likely Olympic Esports Games list 2025 in Saudi Arabia.

  • Archery
  • Baseball
  • Chess
  • Cycling
  • Dance 
  • Motor Sport
  • Sailing
  • Shooting
  • Taekwondo 
  • Tennis

At the Olympic Esports Week 2023, these above-mentioned games were a combination of digital only games played on mobile devices and gaming controllers and also as games that featured a physical exercise element. 

Street Fighter 6, NBA 2K23 and Rocket League were some of the exhibition events that were held at the Olympic Esports Week 2023.

Photo credit: Imago