IOC Pauses Esports Commission as Coventry Rethinks Role

The International Olympic Committee has put the work of its Esports Commission on hold while IOC President Kirsty Coventry reviews how esports should fit into the Olympic Movement. The pause is not a formal suspension but has halted the commission’s activities for now.

In January 2026, Coventry wrote to commission members that the IOC would rethink its approach and pursue a more “integrated approach,” meaning esports would no longer be managed by a separate dedicated body. Following that guidance, the commission’s work has been paused or wound down.

Under former IOC President Thomas Bach, the organization advanced esports initiatives to reach younger audiences. The IOC staged the Olympic Esports Series in Singapore in 2023 and developed plans tied to the Paris 2024 cycle. The IOC also signed a 12-year agreement with Saudi Arabia to host Olympic Esports Games in Riyadh; those games were initially expected in 2025, later delayed to 2027, and the Saudi agreement was canceled on October 30, 2025 after both parties agreed to review the project. The project involved the Esports World Cup Foundation, now rebranded as the Esports Foundation.

Organizers and the IOC encountered several obstacles while attempting to create a permanent Olympic esports program. Video game publishers retain control over intellectual property and tournament rights. Some competitive titles, including first-person shooters, prompted debate over violent content. Several esports formats do not align easily with Olympic principles such as national representation and existing anti-doping frameworks. Those matters complicated efforts to standardize events under an Olympic umbrella.

Coventry has written that any future IOC involvement should be “careful and responsible.” She has indicated the organization might place more emphasis on sports-based video games and simulation titles that align more closely with traditional sporting values, rather than mainstream competitive titles that raise legal and legal and ethical questions.

Esports activity continues in parts of the Olympic ecosystem. Multiple National Olympic Committees support domestic esports programs, and multi-sport events such as the Asian Games include esports competitions. With the Esports Commission on hold and the Riyadh partnership ended, the IOC currently has no active program to stage a large-scale Olympic esports event in the near term.