The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that it’s partnering with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia to form the first-ever “Olympic Esports Games,” a 12-year deal that will see the inaugural event held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2025 – news that’s copped a reasonable amount of criticism.
With the announcement out there, efforts will soon begin in earnest on deciding a city and venue for this very first Olympic Esports Games, along with when it’ll take place, how athlete qualifications will be decided and, of course, which titles will be included in competition. It’s believed that the event could take place every two years and may head to South Korea and the US next.
“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,” writes IOC President Thomas Bach in the accompanying press release. “By partnering with the Saudi NOC we have also ensured that the Olympic values are respected, in particular, with regard to the game titles on the programme, the promotion of gender equality and engagement with the young audience, which is embracing esports.”
A report from Engadget suggests that the games featured in the Olympic Esports Games may be similar to those already presented during 2023’s “Olympic Esports Series” in Singapore, which included Gran Turismo, Fortnite, Just Dance, Zwift and some mobile titles. French outler L’Equipe reckons that Rocket League, Street Fighter and League of Legends may also have a presence.
IOC’s announcement calls out the growth of sport and global competition in Saudi Arabia, and in particular women’s sport. Nearly half of the nation’s 23 million gamers are female, and as far as “traditional” sports goes there are reportedly over 330,000 registered female athletes and nearly 40 women’s national teams competing internationally. The organisation also points out that all of Saudi Arabia’s female and male athletes receive exactly the same level of pay “when on national duty in their sport.”
Conversely, the announcement has been met with some criticism, with many pointing out a level of hypocrisy in statements like the above when the nation has a less-than-encouraging track record as far as human rights goes, especially women’s rights. Moves like this are often seen as attempts at “sportswashing,” a practice attributed to groups or governments that use sports and national/international sporting events as a way to boost their reputation and/or draw attention away from criticisms and controversies.
IOC media is censoring posts from some X users that are posing political and gender questions as it relates to the event and esports in general. https://t.co/gYNQZjLD0g
— Kevin Hitt (@Kevin_Hitt) July 12, 2024
