A dialogue session titled “The Historic Transformation of Esports” was held Saturday on the first day of the New Global Sport Conference (NGSC). It was attended by the Vice President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC), Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Esports Federation (SEF), Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan.
During the session, the Chief Executive Officer and Secretary General of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC), Abdulaziz bin Ahmed Baeshen emphasized that the announcement of the Kingdom hosting the Olympic Esports Games starting next year is an ideal opportunity to merge the values and history of the Olympic movement with the aspirations of the esports sector.
Baeshen highlighted that this announcement marks a historic step for the growth and development of Olympic sports, underscoring the Kingdom’s leading position in this field. This initiative aligns with the objectives of the National Gaming an
d Esports Strategy, which was launched by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, in 2022.
He also reiterated that the Olympic Esports Games provide an exceptional opportunity for esports players to represent their countries in 2025, promoting Olympic values to a new generation of players and audiences alike.
In early January, the International Olympic Committee announced a 12-year partnership with the SOPC to organize the Olympic Esports Games in the Kingdom, beginning in 2025. The partnership will see additional editions of the tournament held in subsequent years, further solidifying the Kingdom’s position as a global hub for esports and building on its recent history of hosting diverse international championships.
Source: Saudi Press Agency