The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Thursday that Saudi Arabia will no longer host the inaugural Esports Olympics scheduled for 2027.
The IOC said in a statement that it had “mutually agreed” with the Saudi National Olympic Committee to end their cooperation on the Olympic Esports Games.
The first Esports Games were initially planned for this year in Riyadh but were postponed in February. Saudi Arabia had secured hosting rights for 12 years starting in 2025, under an agreement signed with the IOC in July last year.
Then-IOC president Thomas Bach played a key role in creating the event before being succeeded by Kirsty Coventry.
Olympic Esports Series competitions, smaller virtual sports events run by the IOC, took place in 2021 and 2023. However, gaming critics widely criticized them for excluding popular esports titles.
“Recently, the two parties and the Esports World Cup Foundation sat down again and reviewed this initiative,” the IOC statement said.
“They mutually agreed that they will end their cooperation on the Olympic Esports Games. At the same time, both parties are committed to pursuing their own esports ambitions on separate paths.”
The IOC added that this new direction would help align the Esports Games with the long-term goals of the Olympic movement and allow broader participation. “This approach will be a chance to better fit the Olympic Esports Games to the long-term ambitions of the Olympic movement and to spread the opportunities presented by the Olympic Esports Games more widely, with the objective of having the inaugural Games as soon as possible,” it said.
The Esports World Cup, which includes many of the world’s most popular games, held its first two editions in Riyadh in 2024 and 2025. The event is organized by Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s growing investment in sports has drawn global attention and criticism. Human rights groups accuse the kingdom of using high-profile sporting events to distract from alleged rights violations, a practice known as “sportswashing.”
The Saudi government rejects these accusations and maintains that its actions are in line with national security laws.