Saudi Arabia has signed a strategic partnership with the International Olympics Committee, while its Esports World Cup has partnered Chinese tournament organizer VSPO and China Media Group. These deals help solidify the country’s status as the premier global hub for international esports competitions.
Olympic Esports Games
Starting in 2025, Saudi Arabia will host the first Olympic Esports Games with other events to follow at regular intervals. The agreement between the National Olympic Committee of Saudi Arabia and the IOC will last for 12 years.
“We are a youthful nation, with over 23 million gamers,” said Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, the Saudi Minister of Sport. “Our kingdom has become a global hub for professional esports … . This is a natural next step for our young athletes, our country and the global esports community.”
Prior to this agreement, the Olympics experimented with esports programming for years. Regional events like the Asian Games in 2018 and 2022 (held in 2023) and the Commonwealth Games in 2022 have hosted esports events. In 2021, the IOC organized the Olympic virtual series to test the waters and hosted its first Olympic Esports Week in 2023.
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Both of the IOC’s events only featured sports simulation games rather than popular esports titles like League of Legends or Counter-Strike. As a result, they failed to resonate with the esports audience. Only Rocket League and Chess managed to get significant viewership.
“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,” said Thomas Bach, president of the IOC.
“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 program, the promotion of gender equality, and the engagement with the young audience, which is embracing esports.”
At this time, information on the Olympic Esports Games event in 2025 is scarce. The Saudi’s planned entertainment city, Qiddiya, and its gaming district will likely host the event.
On top of its deal between the IOC and the Saudi NOC, the Esports World Cup Foundation signed a strategic partnership with China Media Group (CMG) and Chinese tournament organizer VSPO.
CMG took formal steps to expand beyond operating state TV networks like CCTV and established the CMG National Institute for Esports Development in Beijing on Friday. During its unveiling, the Institute promptly signed cooperation agreements with the EWCF and VSPO. Together, these groups plan to jointly organize and participate in future esports events.
“It’s a huge honor to be a strategic partner with the Chinese Media Group and the Esports World Cup Foundation with the establishment of the CMG National Institute for Esports Development, which marks another key sign of Beijing’s support for esports development,” said Dino Ying, chairman of VSPO.
Even before the China Media Group got involved, the Esports World Cup Foundation and the Olympics already established a relationship with VSPO. The tournament organizer partnered with the EWCF for this year’s $60 million Esports World Cup. VSPO also operated the IOC’s Olympic Esports Week in 2023, and the esports series at the Asian Games in 2023 and 2018. Additionally, Savvy Games Group (funded by Saudi Arabia’s PIF) invested $265 million into VSPO in 2023.
Esports on the global stage
With these additional agreements, Saudi Arabia has further solidified itself as the global hub of international esports competitions.
The Olympics, in particular, brings a new level of prestige and visibility to esports. Prior to the Esports World Cup, no international multi-game esports competition included all key titles and stakeholders. Now, the Esports World Cup Foundation has become the de facto global competition and potentially governing body for esports.
Saudi Arabia’s consolidation of the esports industry remains controversial. Many have accused the government of investing to “sportswash” or “esportswash” its human rights record. Its agreement with the IOC appears to confront these concerns head-on, ensuring the Olympics’ values are respected.
The Esports World Cup began July 4 and runs until August 24, 2024.
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