First Olympic Esports Games Reportedly Postponed

The inaugural Olympic Esports Games were initially planned for 2025 in Saudi Arabia. However, no specific timeframe or game lineup had been announced. Now, the U.S. industry magazine Sports Business claims to have learned that the event has been postponed—possibly to 2026 or even later.

There has been no official confirmation of this report, which Sports Business has placed behind a paywall. GamesMarkt has requested statements from both the IOC and the DOSB.

Within the industry, however, the news of a possible postponement has not caused much surprise. Rumors have been circulating for some time, and given the immense logistical effort required—especially for National Olympic Committees such as the DOSB in Germany—it seems unlikely that the Olympic Esports Games will take place in 2025 when a date has yet to be set.

Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is likely to take any potential delay in stride. The country is already hosting the World Esports Cup, the most highly endowed esports event in the world, which was a huge success in 2024.

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The inaugural Olympic Esports Games were initially planned for 2025 in Saudi Arabia. However, no specific timeframe or game lineup had been announced. Now, the U.S. industry magazine Sports Business claims to have learned that the event has been postponed—possibly to 2026 or even later.

There has been no official confirmation of this report, which Sports Business has placed behind a paywall. GamesMarkt has requested statements from both the IOC and the DOSB.

Within the industry, however, the news of a possible postponement has not caused much surprise. Rumors have been circulating for some time, and given the immense logistical effort required—especially for National Olympic Committees such as the DOSB in Germany—it seems unlikely that the Olympic Esports Games will take place in 2025 when a date has yet to be set.

Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is likely to take any potential delay in stride. The country is already hosting the World Esports Cup, the most highly endowed esports event in the world, which was a huge success in 2024.

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Never miss anything from the German, Swiss and Austrian games industry again: subscribe for free to our Daily newsletter and get all news straight to your inbox.

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