IOC, Saudi end 12-year plan for Olympic Esports Games in Riyadh

The International Olympic Committee and the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee have mutually agreed to cancel a 12-year partnership to stage the Olympic Esports Games in Riyadh, the IOC said on Thursday, bringing to a close an initiative announced in 2024 and paused amid scheduling changes that had pushed an inaugural event to 2027.

The IOC said discussions with the Saudi committee and the Esports World Cup Foundation over the past year led to a decision to end cooperation on the project and for each party to pursue separate esports plans. The agreement, confirmed on the eve of the 2024 Paris Olympics, had been billed as a landmark collaboration but was terminated roughly 14 months after it was announced.

Under the terminating accord, the IOC will develop a new approach to an Olympic-branded esports event and pursue a different partnership model, the committee said. Officials said the goal remains to hold an inaugural Olympic Esports Games as soon as possible, but no new date was set. The IOC also indicated it will incorporate feedback from a recent Pause and Reflect process as it reshapes the initiative.

Saudi organizers and the Esports World Cup Foundation said they will...