IOC cancels 12-year Esports Olympics deal with Saudi Arabian organisations

Hannah Marie ZT, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 30/10/2025

The International Olympic Committee and the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee have cancelled their 12-year deal to host the Esports Olympics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

Announced in 2024, the deal became an integral part of the Saudi Vision 2030 program and, therefore, associated with the EWC initiative. 

The Esports Olympics is no longer tied to Riyadh – IOC pursues a new path 

In a statement released on October 30th, the IOC stated that it met with the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC) and the Esports World Cup Foundation to review the Esports Olympics initiative. 

The outcome of this review was a mutual agreement for the IOC, SOPC, and EWCF to end any cooperation on the project. 

According to the statement, “both parties are still committed to pursuing their own esports ambitions on separate paths.” 

In Saudi Arabia, this will mean progress toward the Nations Cup. Announced at the 2025 Esports World Cup, the Nations Cup features a country-vs-country format not dissimilar to the Olympics, with traditional esports titles at its core. 

These plans would have predated Saudi Arabia’s Olympic commitment, potentially superceding it in popularity. 

For the IOC, this means developing a new approach to the world of esports. Feedback from their Pause and Reflect process will be taken into account, and a new partnership model will be pursued. 

The IOC recognises that feedback from the esports community and Olympic Movement stakeholders shows that there is still “a great desire and considerable support for the initiative.” 

Although the IOC has confidence in the initiative, previous steps toward an Esports Olympics have faced criticism for distancing themselves from the traditional esports industry. 

As talk of an Olympic Esports project continued to spread in the late 2010s, a survey of over 1,000 gamers showed that half of gamers in the UK, Germany, and France actually didn’t want esports in the Olympics at all. 

Nevertheless, the IOC will continue pursuing the concept of an Esports Olympics. Their statement expresses that they are aiming to have the inaugural event “as soon as possible.”

What plans were initially set out under the IOC-EWC partnership?

On the eve of the 2024 Paris Olympics and amid the Esports World Cup, the IOC confirmed its 12-year deal with Saudi Arabia. The plan was to hold an Esports Olympics every two years, originally due to start in 2025. 

However, in February 2025, it was confirmed that the inaugural Esports Olympics would be postponed. Instead, a new date was set for a 2027 Esports Olympics in Riyadh. 

Very few expectations were explicitly shared for the event born from their partnership. 

What would the IOC’s Esports Olympics likely look like?

The IOC affirmed that any games or events must “align with Olympic values.” This cast doubt on whether popular titles such as Counter-Strike, Valorant, Apex Legends, Fortnite, or Call of Duty would be included in such an initiative. 

In fact, the IOC has always been steering the Esports Olympics concept toward sport simulation games, rather than esports titles. 

2023’s Olympic Esports Series, hosted in Singapore, seemed to follow this exact route. 

Overall, the Olympic Esports Series only stretched to the following disciplines: 

• Archery on the relatively unknown game, Tic Tac Bow
• Baseball on WBSC eBASEBALL: POWER PROS
• Chess on Chess.com
• Cycling on Zwift (an indoor cycling app focused on physical ability)
• Dance on Just Dance
• Motor Sport on Gran Turismo 
• Sailing on Virtual Regatta 
• Shooting on Fortnite (not the base game) 
• Taekwondo, on Virtual Taekwondo
• Tennis, on Tennis Clash 

All esports titles were governed by the federations of their physical-sport counterparts, without involvement from esports governing bodies. 

The lack of esports governing bodies was likely an issue the IOC sought to address through its Saudi Arabian partnership. The Esports World Cup Federation is well-integrated into Saudi Arabia’s transformative plans and is linked to the SOPC through the Vision 2030 program.

Although excluding violent video games is understandable for a universal audience, esports titles like Rocket League should have no issue being included in an Esports Olympics that remains true to its name. 

That is, unless the Olympic Committee decides that Rocket League promotes dangerous driving. 

Regardless, the end of this collaboration means an Esports Olympics with direct influence from the esports industry is less likely.

Hannah Marie ZT, Senior Editor

Hannah is a journalist specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports, Apex Legends, and advocating for women's esports initiatives. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ALGS LANs, ESI London, EGX, and watch parties.

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