Saudi Arabia loses hosting rights for Olympic Esports Game

Geneva: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Saudi Arabia have canceled their 12-year deal to host the video gaming Esports Olympics in Riyadh.

The IOC said on Thursday, October 29, they “mutually agreed that they will end their cooperation on the Olympic Esports Games.”

It is a rare failure for a Saudi-backed sports project that was a key part of the Vision 2030 program driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“At the same time, both parties are committed to pursuing their own esports ambitions on separate paths,” the Olympic body said, announcing a reset of a signature project seven months into the presidency of Kirsty Coventry.

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The partnership was confirmed on the eve of the Paris Olympics last year but the inaugural Esports Olympics due to be held this year in Riyadh was postponed to 2027.

Saudi Arabia already hosts the Esports World Cup which has shooter games like Call of Duty and Street Fighter that always shaped to be an issue for the IOC to endorse while also seeking to connect with younger audiences.

Announcing the Saudi partnership last year, then IOC president Thomas Bach cautioned “we have also ensured that the Olympic values are respected, in particular, with regard to the game titles on the program.”

The World Cup paid tens of millions of dollars in prize money and was personally supported by the crown prince.

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The IOC said it will “develop a new approach” to the video gaming Olympics and “pursue a new partnership model.”

“This approach will be a chance to better fit the Olympic Esports Games to the long-term ambitions of the Olympic movement,” it said, stating the goal of “having the inaugural Games as soon as possible.”

A Saudi-backed video gaming Olympics promised to be a financial bonus for sports which have established simulation events like cycling and rowing.

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