by Agreed termination of cooperation - IOC announces a new approach, and EWCF turns to its own projects
International Olympic Committee (IOC), Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC) i Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) they announced that they mutually terminated cooperation on the project Olympic Esports Games.
The decision has been announced. October 30, 2025 through official announcements on LinkedIn by orders of the IOC and EWCF, as well as through announcements on the official website olympics.com
Statement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
In a post on LinkedIn, the IOC said:
"The Olympic Esports Games initiative has caused great excitement among all the actors of the Olympic Movement and within the esports community, who are all eagerly awaiting the first edition.
Over the past year, the IOC and the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee have been considering in detail the concept of the Olympic Esports Games in line with the partnership they announced in 2024.
Recently, the two parties, together with the Esports World Cup Foundation, re-analyzed this initiative. They mutually agreed to end their cooperation at the Olympic Esports Games. At the same time, both parties remain committed to developing their esports ambitions on separate paths. The IOC, for its part, will develop a new approach to the Olympic Esports Games, taking into account feedback from the 'Pause and Reflect' process, and will continue to develop a new partnership model.
This approach represents an opportunity to better align the Olympic Esports Games with the long-term ambitions of the Olympic Movement and to make wider use of the opportunities provided by this initiative, with the aim of holding the first edition as soon as possible.
The overwhelming feedback we received from the actors of the Olympic Movement and the esports community shows that there is a strong desire and great support for this initiative."
Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) Statement
In its post on LinkedIn, the Esports World Cup Foundation confirmed the mutual decision to end the cooperation:
"After a constructive review of the Olympic Esports Games initiative, we have mutually agreed with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC) to conclude cooperation on this project.
The foundation will now focus on its own flagship events, including the Esports World Cup and the newly announced Esports Nations Cup."
New direction for Olympic Esports Games
According to the IOC, the Committee will develop new approach and partnership model for the future Olympic Esports Games, based on feedback collected within the process “Pause and Reflect”.
The IOC's goal is to hold the first edition of the games as soon as possible, in line with the long-term goals and values of the Olympic Movement.
Although the cooperation with the Saudi partners has ended, the IOC has confirmed that it remains committed to the development of the initiative, while the EWCF turns to its own international esports tournaments.
