The International Olympic Committee (IOC) earlierAnnounceIt has "mutually agreed" with the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC) to terminate their esports partnership, meaning that the partnership, which was only finalized in 2024, will end.12-year long-term cooperation planIt's officially off.
This partnership was terminated shortly after Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund (PIF) and other investors recently invested $550 billion.Acquisition of EA (Electronic Arts) This will further change the landscape of global esports.
The first Olympic esports event, originally planned for 2027, has returned to being led by the International Olympic Committee.
In an agreement reached in 2024, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee originally planned to hold the Olympic Esports Games every two years, with the inaugural event scheduled for this year, but it has since been postponed to 2027. At the time, the IOC was also reportedly in talks with publishers of games such as Rocket League, Street Fighter, and League of Legends.
However, according to the latest statement from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), both sides are now "committed to pursuing their own esports ambitions on their own independent paths." The IOC stated that future plans will "more broadly disseminate the opportunities presented by Olympic esports," but still hope that the inaugural event can be held "as soon as possible."
The cooperation may have broken down due to conflicts between "Olympic values" and Saudi Arabia's e-sports content.
The collaboration fell apart in the seventh month of Kristy Coventry's term as the new president of the International Olympic Committee, and related reports suggest that the main reason may be related to the International Olympic Committee's "values" regarding game content.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) hopes to connect with younger generations through esports events while also striving to ensure that "Olympic values are respected." However, Saudi Arabia's self-branded "Esports World Cup," which has been heavily promoted in recent years, features a large number of MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena), shooting, and fighting games, which conflict with the image that the IOC hopes to project. This could lead to the eventual failure of the cooperation between the two parties.
