Olympic Esports Games reportedly delayed until 2026 or 2027
The inaugural Olympic Esports Games, a partnership endeavor from the International Olympic Committee and Saudi Arabia, has reportedly been pushed back from its 2025 window by at least one year.
A "mutual decision" has been made to push the Olympic Esports Games back at least 12 months, according to sports business news outlet Sport Business.
The event was originally set to be held near November 2025. According to a Sport Business source, there has been “general dissatisfaction” among the publishers of games in regard to "the slow pace of preparations and lack of information." SB also reports that many publishers are not willing or able to bend their schedules to accommodate the Games.
Earlier in 2024, Saudi Arabia's capital city Riyadh played host to the first Esports World Cup, which featured 22 different competitive titles (including Counter-Strike) and a $60+ million prize pool across the entire event.
Sport Business reported that international federations will be informed "in the next few months" whether the inugural Olympic Esports Games will occur in 2026 or 2027. Due to the presence of the Winter Olympic Games and the Summer Youth Olympic Games next year, 2027 appears "more likely."
