The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that the first eSports Olympic Games will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2025 as part of a 12-year partnership with the country’s Olympic Committee. The host city, venues and dates of the competition, as well as the specific games and qualification process for each discipline, have not yet been determined. The IOC says that International Federations and National Olympic Committees, which are already involved in the digital version of their sport and eSports in general, will be the first partners of the event.

For the first eSports Olympics, the IOC took a similar approach to last year’s event, where players competed in games such as Gran Turismo, Fortnite, Just Dance, Zwift and more. The IOC is looking to bring in other popular eSports disciplines as well, negotiating with the publishers of Rocket League, Street Fighter and League of Legends. The eSports Olympics could be held every two years, and South Korea and the United States are already in talks about future eSports games.

The IOC has been mulling over whether to host an official eSports event under its banner for years, and has finally decided on the move. However, the choice of Saudi Arabia to host the first eSports Olympic Games is controversial given the country’s human rights record. Saudi Arabia has been heavily investing in eSports and gaming companies, hosting eSports world championships with large prize pools, seeking to improve its image through sports and other mass events.