The game is paused. The first edition of the eSports Olympics will probably not take place in 2025. Saudi Arabia was supposed to organize the event by the end of the year at the latest. What was supposed to be a major step in the modernization of the Olympic movement will ultimately be postponed. It will probably be necessary to wait until 2026, or even 2027, for the project to come to fruition. A slowdown that, in the end, does not come as a total surprise.
A race against time
Saudi Arabia has already shown its expertise in organizing eSports competitions. The capital, Riyadh, notably hosted the World Cup in 2024: around twenty games represented, 30 teams competing and more than 50 million euros in prize money. However, the organizers "need more time to put in place a new model of reception and financing » adapted to the Games, reveals Sport Business. No specific date had been announced, nor the location where the competition would take place. The list of games included was also still awaited. A frustrating vagueness for many players in the eSports industry.
It's hard to prepare properly when you don't know the outlines of the event. Especially since this first edition should help create momentum: investing in the field of eSports is good, but it's about doing things seriously in the hope of developing and going even further in the years to come. The postponement has not yet been confirmed by the authorities, led by the IOC, but it is "a good decision considering the time available", slides a person from the middle to FrancsJeux. "Many publishers were unable or unwilling to change their schedules to accommodate the IOC", precise Sport Business. Postponing the deadline will therefore allow the dialogue to continue with less pressure and to consider a solution that suits everyone. A blessing in disguise.
See you in 2027?
Just a month ago, the IOC announced the appointment of Zeynep Gencaga Dechelotteas deputy director of eSports. Among her missions: overseeing the planning of the first Olympic Games. Nothing then suggested a postponement. The body has not communicated officially in recent hours. A spokesperson only told Sport Business that "Planning for the first eSports Olympics is underway" and that it requires "a new organizational model", different from that of the classic Olympic Games. Mentioning the importance of the development of the "path to the event, which should raise awareness, promote and generate commitment to these Games". Difficult conditions to meet with a view to a competition at the end of the year.
The " new era " welcomed by Thomas Bach last July, when the event was approved by the IOC session in Paris, will therefore have to wait a little longer. The calendar for 2026 is already full with the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina and the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar – not to mention the FIFA World Cup. Sport Business therefore considers that 2027 appears as a deadline " more likely " to finally see this first edition materialize. Which will leave time to bring together all the players in the field to build solid foundations, destined to last.
