In July 2024, the 142nd IOC Session took a historic step by approving the creation of the Olympic Esports Games – a landmark initiative for both the Olympic Movement and the global esports community. The first edition is planned to take place as soon as possible, under a new model currently being developed by the IOC.

This decision builds on several years of engagement with the esports ecosystem. Since 2018, the IOC has taken a holistic and inclusive approach to esports, culminating in the successful Olympic Esports Week held in Singapore in 2023. Following that event, then-IOC President Thomas Bach tasked the IOC Esports Commission – during the 141st IOC Session in Mumbai in October 2023 – with studying the creation of the Olympic Esports Games. The Commission developed a proposal that reflected the interests of the esports community while remaining true to the Olympic values, which the IOC Session in Paris then endorsed unanimously.

Since then, the initiative has generated great excitement among stakeholders of the Olympic Movement and the global esports community. Although the IOC had initially partnered with the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the IOC is now pursuing a new partnership model and a refined approach to ensure the Olympic Esports Games align with the long-term ambitions of the Olympic Movement.

The objective remains clear: to deliver the inaugural Olympic Esports Games as soon as possible and establish an event that bridges esports and traditional sports in a way that inspires and engages audiences worldwide.