Olympics eSports

All You Need to Know About the eSports Olympics

February 15, 2025Sport Article

One of the biggest problems that parents have had ever since the invention of the television has been getting their kids to go outside and do some exercise. As technology developed and games consoles were invented, this became even trickier. Some may have been able to persuade their little ones to venture outside with the promise of fame and riches through sporting endeavour, perhaps even dreaming of an Olympic medal one day. The problem is that eSports became a thing, made worse by the creation of the eSports Olympics.

What are the eSports Olympics?

In 2007, eSports were included in the Asian Indoor Games, which caused the International Olympic Committee to sit up and take notice. A decade later and the IOC held an Olympic Summit that looked to focus on on eSports, then the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics. As a result, the Olympic Virtual Series was held in 2021, concentrating on five sports and leading to the creation of the Olympic eSports Series. The Olympic eSports Week took place in Singapore in 2023.

The idea was that this would become a yearly occurrence, but the 2024 iteration of it didn’t take place. At the 142nd IOC Session, it was confirmed that the Olympic eSports Series would be replaced by the Olympic eSports Games, held every two years in between the Summer and Winter Olympics, with the first one planned to get underway in 2025. It was then announced that the eSports Olympics would not take place in 2025, but would instead be delayed until 2026 or possibly even 2027, with other details thin on the ground.

Saudi Arabia to Host

Over the past decade or so, Saudi Arabia has worked harder and harder to sports-wash its reputation on the international stage. From buying Newcastle United Football Club through to launching LIV Golf via spending millions hosting major boxing matches, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has spent huge sums of money doing whatever it can to alter its image. Whilst that still remains a problem for the LGBTQ+ community and the Saudis still execute people seemingly at the drop of a hat, there is no question that what they’ve done has worked in the eyes of some.

A big part of the problem with sports-washing as a method of altering your reputation is that young people remain too ‘woke’ to fall for it. Plenty of the younger generation are all too aware of Saudi Arabia’s appalling human rights record, refusing to ignore it just because they’ve paid some golfers a lot of money and persuaded the sexist, homophobic Tyson Fury to punch people there. Perhaps that is why the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reached an agreement with the International Olympic Committee to host the eSports Olympics for the next 12 years.

Which eSports Will be Played?

One of the things that is not altogether clear at this stage is which games will feature in the eSports Games. We do know that when eSports were part of the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games, the likes of Rocket League, EA FC, League of Legends and Street Fighter all featured. In terms of the world of eSports, both Counter-Strike 2 and Call of Duty have a massive following, but it is felt that such games don’t necessarily fit with the ethos of the International Olympic Committee and are therefore unlikely to feature just yet.

@9news The first-ever Olympic #Esports Week starts today on 9Now! 🎮🥇 #gamingontiktok #gaming #Fortnite #Olympics ♬ original sound – 9News Australia

In fact, it is unlikely that any ‘violent’ games will be part of any meeting that bears the Olympic name and flag. The President of the IOC, Thomas Bach, said in 2016, “We want to promote non-discrimination, non-violence, and peace among people. This doesn’t match with video games, which are about violence, explosions and killing. And there we have to draw a clear line”. The problem that the IOC face is that such games may not fit with their ethics, but they are what eSports-lovers like to watch and take part in.

No Medals on Offer

One of the main differences between the eSports Games and the actual Olympics is that there will be no medals nor diplomas on offer to the successful players. Instead, the top three players in each event will be presented with a bronze, silver or gold trophy. That doesn’t mean that other Olympic-staples won’t be on offer, however. When the first Olympic eSports Week was held in 2023, there was still an opening ceremony that took place before the players got down to the business of trying to outwit and out perform each other.

esports are the real olympics

— Aum Shinrikyo Originalist (@unstable-idiot.bsky.social) 27 July 2024 at 15:56

It is unlikely to be the presence or lack therefore of medals that might keep people away from the eSports Games, however. The organisers of the eSports World Cup had to defend their decision to host it in Saudi Arabia, with the same issues also facing the International Olympic Committee. Whilst the Kingdom promised that anyone would be able to take part in the competition irrespective of their gender or sexuality, the reality is that women are already grossly underrepresented in the world of eSports whilst the LGBTQ+ community will feel far from welcome.

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