The 142nd session of the International Olympic Committee has approved the establishment of the Olympic Esports Games. The first edition of the event will take place in Saudi Arabia in 2025.
The committee held a vote to establish the games shortly after the IOC’s announcement of their collaboration with the National Olympic Committee of Saudi Arabia to organize the tournament on July 12. The initial announcement of the host country received backlash from certain fans and industry experts.
The creation of the new event was approved unanimously by the IOC, but they have yet to finalize any details such as the host city, venue, dates, or which esports titles will be included.
“The recent establishment of the Olympic Esports Games by the IOC marks a new era for the organization. In line with the rapid advancements of the digital world, the IOC Session has officially approved this initiative. IOC President Thomas Bach expressed his excitement for the project in a press release, highlighting the enthusiastic participation of the esports community through their representation in the Esports Commission.”
A HISTORIC VOTE! The 142nd IOC Session votes for the creation of the Olympic Esports Games. Mark the date 🥳 pic.twitter.com/CPRrwrirba
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) July 23, 2024
Despite previous conflicts between the Olympics and gaming/esports, this announcement marks a change in their relationship. Back in 2018, Bach voiced concerns about the violent nature of popular competitive games such as Counter-Strike, League of Legends, and Overwatch, deeming them to be in opposition to the Olympic values.
In 2021, the international sports body organized a DreamHack event called the Olympic Virtual Series to coincide with the 2020 Tokyo Games. The event showcased “non-physical sports”such as Zwift, Virtual Regatta, and Gran Turismo.
In 2023, the trend of unusual game selections persisted with the announcement of the Olympic Esports Series. Although the lineup of games was expanded for the event, it still did not include any titles that were commonly associated with esports by fans.
Despite the potential benefits of gaining validation and investment through inclusion in the Olympics, the esports industry was left in a difficult position due to the lack of representation. The Olympic committee was hesitant to include traditional titles that involved violence or guns, further hindering the progress of esports in the competitive sports world.
Thanks to the successful lobbying efforts of Saudi Arabia, which has a history of organizing events like Gamers8 (now known as the Esports World Cup), the Esports Olympic Games has been established and is expected to include more traditional titles, according to reports from reliable sources.
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