Does sports deserve to be placed on the same level as other sporting events? This question was answered after the International Olympic Council (IOC) announced that the first Olympic Games will take place in Saudi Arabia in 2025.
The IOC signed a 12-year agreement with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia to host the Olympic Games. Before the Paris Olympic Games take place this month, IOC members will meet to choose the city where the event will take place and what events will be contested. It is very likely that the city of Qiddiya will be chosen because the world's largest sports stadium will be built in this futuristic city complete with 4D haptic seats.
Last year Olympic Esports Finals 2023 took place in Singapore featuring 10 events namely Fortnite, Tic Tac Bow, WBSC eBaseball : Power Pros, Chess.com, Zwift, Just Dance, Gran Turismo 7, Virtual Regatta, Virtual Taekwondo, and Tennis Clash.
The selection of events above is quite limited and not in line with more popular esports events such as The International, ESL, and Evo. Previously the IOC had said games involving violence such as CS:GO and Tekken would not be contested at the Sports Olympics. This somewhat limits the opportunity for Malaysian sports athletes to show their abilities next year.