Yahoo Finance Saudi Arabia Clinches 12-Year Agreement to Host Esports Olympics
(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia will host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2025 under an agreement announced Friday by the International Olympic Committee and the kingdom.
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The games are part of a partnership that will run 12 years and will add to the growing portfolio of such events put on by the Saudis. The country is hosting the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, where 1,500 gamers are competing in games like Call of Duty and League of Legends for a $60 million prize pool.
Saudi Arabia is investing $38 billion to become a video-game hub as part of its effort to diversify away from oil and invigorate its youth culture. The country remains a target of critics for its human rights record.
The parties expect the Olympic Esports Games to be held regularly over the duration of the agreement.
Previously, the International Olympic Committee was criticized over its Olympic Esports Series, which included lesser-known games like Tic Tac Bow and WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros, which were meant to emulate physical sports.
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