International Olympic Committee Announces Creation Of Olympic Esports Games
The first edition will be held in 2025 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The International Olympic Committee has approved the creation of the Olympic Esports Games, or OEG.
On Tuesday, the committee voted unanimously for the formation of the OEG in what it described as a “historic vote.”
The inaugural Olympic Esports Games 2025 are slated to take place next year in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
In a press release, IOC President Thomas Bach praised the decision as a “new era” for the committee.
“With the confirmation by the IOC Session of the creation of the Olympic Esports Games, we are keeping up with the pace of the digital revolution,” he said.
Esports are video games that are played in an organized and competitive environment such as a tournament or local event. They can be played at a professional or amateur level.
“The esports community, represented in our Esports Commission, has enthusiastically engaged with this initiative,” Bach continued. “This is further proof of the attractivity of the Olympic brand and the values it stands for among young people.”
The IOC has not yet announced which games will be featured in the competition.
Esports within the Olympics has been a controversial topic for years, so naturally, social media users on X (formerly Twitter) had mixed reactions to the news.
