IOC: Olympic esports project active, delayed past 2028

The International Olympic Committee says its Olympic esports project remains active but is on hold after a collapsed partnership with Saudi organizers, making a standalone Olympic Esports Games unlikely before 2029. IOC President Kirsty Coventry told the Executive Board the work is “very much alive” and that no major decisions will be taken before the IOC’s Extraordinary Session in June 2026.

Coventry noted the project is being managed directly by her Executive Office with support from an external expert, keeping oversight at the highest level of the IOC while the organisation focuses on other priorities.

The IOC approved the concept of standalone Olympic Esports Games in 2024 and had discussed staging an initial event in Saudi Arabia around 2025 or 2027. The partnership with Saudi organizers broke down in late 2025, after which the IOC entered a “pause and reflect” phase. The dedicated Esports Commission was suspended or put on hold in 2026 as part of the reassessment.

Officials point to rising costs for host cities, a push to make future Games smaller and easier to stage, efforts to attract younger audiences, governance reforms and work on more sustainable long-term business models as current priorities. Those areas are being addressed before any large expansion into esports at an Olympic level.

With no major decisions scheduled until June 2026, consideration of any large-scale, IOC-branded Esports Games would most likely come after the 2028 Olympic cycle. The IOC has maintained a public commitment to continue exploring esports while it advances reforms to the core Olympic program.