The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced the first Olympic Games in eSports will be held in 2025. Information about this appeared on the official website of the organization, reports daily.afisha.ru.
Saudi Arabia was chosen as the venue for the competition. IOC President Thomas Bach called the event “the beginning of a new era” for the committee, highlighting the organization's commitment to modern digital trends.
This decision marks the official recognition of video games as an Olympic sport. Until this moment, the most prestigious eSports tournament was considered the World Championship, which was also held in Saudi Arabia.
More than 1700 players from more than 80 countries participated in the world championship. The tournament attracted nearly 4 million viewers, and the broadcast received approximately 1,3 billion views.
To organize the Olympic eSports Games, the IOC plans to create a separate structure that will function independently of the division responsible for the traditional Olympic Games.