The first Olympic Esports Games will be hosted by Riyadh in 2027, two years later than expected when a 12-year deal with Saudi Arabia was signed last year.
The International Olympic Committee said yesterday its founding partner for the event will be the kingdom's Esports World Cup Foundation.
The first annual Esports World Cup was held last July and August in Riyadh with tens of millions of dollars in prize money paid for games including Call of Duty, Fortnite and Street Fighter.
It is unclear which, if any, shooter games the IOC will allow on the Esports Olympics program, which it has repeatedly said must align with Olympic values.
A six-person panel, co-chaired by veteran IOC member Ser Miang Ng and Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, will work on deciding the games program, the IOC said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
![Nagoya's container-style huts are similar to the cabins used at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games, says Kirsty Coventry.r]](https://image.hkstandard.com.hk/f/1024p0/0x0/100/none/a1f0ca5876544d43c82564cb5fce78cf/2026-09/huts.jpg)
