The Inaugural Olympic Esports Games set for Saudi Arabia

In a move that seems about as wise as jumping up and down on your own neck, it seems the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has taken the Sepp Blatter approach to picking where the Olympics happen. Or in this case, Esports Olympics. The IOC announced late last week that the inaugural Olympic Esports Games will be held in Saudi Arabia – the most progressive and totally not restrictive place in the world.

In the announcement made Friday by the IOC, the statement read: “The duration of the partnership between the IOC and the Saudi [National Olympic Committee] will be 12 years, with Olympic Esports Games held regularly.” There is no word on how regular these games will be or whether, much like the Summer and Winter Olympics, the regular events will be held in different countries on biennial periods.

“By partnering with the Saudi NOC we have also ensured that the Olympic values are respected, in particular, with regard to the game titles on the program, the promotion of gender equality and engagement with the young audience, which is embracing esports,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. Bach also commented on the countries “experience” being a great value in helping the IOC establish the event in the best way possible. I’m not quoting that simply because it sounds like if he took what Saudi was given Bach, he’d choke.

While there has been some progression within the region, and particularly Saudi, some say it isn’t enough. In 2017 women were finally allowed to attend sporting events, including indoors, and later that year women were allowed to drive. Many criticize the country not only for the cultural views but the shift that has been brought in by Crown Prince Salman, noting these changes are not promoting serious equality and in the wider shift to “sports-wash” the country’s human rights record. Not only do the UFC and WWE regularly visit the country, but so does Formula 1, and since 2020 the Paris-Dakar Rally started (this year) in Al-Ula, ending in Yanbu.

This announcement by the IOC and Saudi NOC seems to be the latest in a long line of whitewashing/”sports-washing” to claim the country’s progressiveness is real. The next step being the 2034 FIFA World Cup, which the country secured last October, beating out other applicants such as Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and more. The country will also host the 2034 Asian Games following Qatar’s successful 2030 bid. All of this is part of the massive development program by the country, touted as Saudi Vision 2030.

Saudi Minister of Sport and President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal said, “Saudi Arabia is hugely excited by the prospect of partnering with the IOC and helping to welcome a completely new era for international sport. We believe that [taking] part in the Olympic Games is one of the greatest honors any athlete can achieve. And we are proud to support the writing of a new chapter in Olympic history that has the potential to inspire new dreams and new ambitions for literally millions of athletes around the world.”

Al Faisal goes on to say, “As a ‘first’ ever Esports Olympic Games, obviously there is still much to consider and plan with the IOC, but we are committed to hosting a special event that respects and celebrates the Olympic values while boldly seizing the momentum to drive esports forward with the international platform the sport and its athletes deserve. The world will have an open invitation to join us in 2025 and celebrate this moment together.” He goes on to state the country has over 23 million gamers, which would be more than 70% of the country’s population, and “our Kingdom has become a global hub for professional esports.”

The press release does the usual waffle about the country’s Vision 2030, the investments, and beyond. The type of thing you’d expect from a press release when it is obvious some sort of big money deal goes down. A large portion of this is focused on young women, highlighting the progressiveness of Saudi Arabia to allow young women to compete and get involved. Next, I’ll be asked to applaud the sun for rising.

The press release does note that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has become a hotbed for global sporting events, “staging over 100 international events for both male and female athletes, including esports, football, motorsports, tennis, equestrian and golf, attracting over 2.6 million sports fans.” Cool, but are we just going to skip past the fact Esports also has a significant LGBTQ+ community that both participate and watch? Seems consequential both to the viewing and those participating.

When Esports itself is a niche within gaming, the longevity of the IOC’s plans hinges on the viewership of the event next year. It is estimated the viewers of Esports stack up to be around half a billion people and growing, with the revenue forecast to reach somewhere around 1.5-1.8 billion. Meanwhile, the Summer Olympics reaches 3 billion viewers regularly and the Winter Olympics averages around 2 billion. The point is to promote and engage audiences with Esports and while that’s the case to some degree, Saudi seems like an odd choice to have the inaugural event not only for human rights but also for the acceptance of those participating.