The International Olympic Committee and Saudi Arabia have mutually ended their 12-year agreement to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games, prompting the IOC to seek a new strategy for the event.
Both parties agreed to terminate their cooperation for the Olympic Esports Games, according to an IOC statement. They remain committed to esports ambitions but will pursue them "in different ways."
The IOC guaranteed it would develop a "new approach" and search for a "new partnership model" for the event. This aims to better align the Esports Games with the Olympic Movement’s long-term goals.
The committee expressed its desire to launch the inaugural Games "as soon as possible." The first Olympic Esports Games were initially slated for this year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but had already been postponed to 2027.
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The original partnership was signed after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It was formalized under the previous IOC president, German Thomas Bach. Bach was subsequently replaced by Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry.