Saudi Arabia will host the inaugural Esports Olympics in 2025 the International Olympic Committee said on Friday.

"The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that it has partnered with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games 2025 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the body said.

"The proposal will be made to the IOC Session, which will be held on the eve of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

"The duration of the partnership between the IOC and the Saudi NOC will be 12 years, with Olympic Esports Games held regularly."

Riyadh is already to host the Esports World Cup in July and August, when 2,500 gamers will battle for $60 million in prize money.

The IOC, in its perpetual quest to reconcile Olympic tradition with attempts to attract a younger audience, held an initial "Olympic e-sport week" in Singapore in June 2023, consisting of "ten mixed-gender category events".

Last October, the IOC set up an "e-sport commission" chaired by Frenchman David Lappartient, the president of the international cycling union (UCI), to consider a dedicated competition.

However, IOC president Thomas Bach has said in the past he does not see e-sports as part of the traditional Olympics.

"With respect to esports, our values are and remain the red line that we will never cross," he said.

Nevertheless he expressed his delight that the Esports Games had a natural home in Saudi Arabia.

"We are very fortunate to be able to work with the Saudi NOC on the Olympic Esports Games, because it has great –- if not unique -– expertise in the field of esports with all its stakeholders," Bach said in a statement.

"The Olympic Esports Games will greatly benefit from this experience.

"By partnering with the Saudi NOC (National Olympic Committee) 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."

'New chapter'

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Minister of Sport and President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said he was happy his country was part of sporting history.

"Saudi Arabia is hugely excited by the prospect of partnering with the IOC and helping to welcome a completely new era for international sport," he said.

"We believe that to take 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."

Conservative Saudi Arabia's bid to become a sports powerhouse is part of a larger attempt to soften its austere image.

That rebranding is central to the success of its Vision 2030 economic and social reform agenda, designed to prepare the world's biggest crude exporter for a prosperous post-oil future.

Last year, the kingdom hosted its first ATP Tour event with the Next Gen Finals.

It has also hosted exhibition matches pitting Novak Djokovic against Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka against Ons Jabeur.

In early January, Saudi Arabia appointed Rafael Nadal as ambassador of the Saudi Tennis Federation.

The country, which hosts a Formula 1 and MotoGP Grand Prix, as well as the Dakar rally-raid, has recruited a large number of top football players to its national league in recent years.

The Kingdom has also hosted a series of headline-grabbing boxing matches including the heavyweight unification bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury earlier this year.

© 2024 AFP