عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

IOC, Saudi Arabia Agree on 12-year Deal for Video Gaming Esports Olympics

A general view of Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia, February 20, 2022. REUTERS/Mohammed Benmansour
A general view of Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia, February 20, 2022. REUTERS/Mohammed Benmansour
TT
TT

IOC, Saudi Arabia Agree on 12-year Deal for Video Gaming Esports Olympics

A general view of Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia, February 20, 2022. REUTERS/Mohammed Benmansour
A general view of Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia, February 20, 2022. REUTERS/Mohammed Benmansour

Saudi Arabia and the IOC are teaming up for their first commercial deal together with the kingdom set to host the Esports Olympics that launch next year.

The gaming partnership will be for 12 years “with Olympic Esports Games held regularly,” the International Olympic Committee said in a statement Friday.

The announcement was made during the two-month Esports World Cup being staged in Riyadh, The AP reported.

Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal said the country “has become a global hub for professional esports.”

"This is a natural next step for our young athletes, our country and the global esports community,” said Prince Abdulaziz, who also heads the Saudi national Olympic committee.

The IOC said last month it planned to launch video gaming Olympics to try to attract and retain young fans and audiences.

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

Bayern Munich Wants to Keep Forward Mathys Tel Despite Reports Linking Him with Chelsea

Mathys Tel. (AFP)
Mathys Tel. (AFP)
TT
TT

Bayern Munich Wants to Keep Forward Mathys Tel Despite Reports Linking Him with Chelsea

Mathys Tel. (AFP)
Mathys Tel. (AFP)

Bayern Munich's sporting director Christoph Freund says the German club is planning to keep Mathys Tel, after several media reports linked the French forward with a move to Chelsea.

Freund said Tuesday that the 19-year-old Tel was a “very important player” for Bayern and that the club wants to follow a plan for his development.

“We have a very good dialogue because he’s a big talent who should take on an important role for us. We’ve had a lot of conversations. Our clear aim is that Mathys will make the breakthrough with us,” Freund said. “Obviously we’ll listen if a player isn’t happy, then we’ll talk about it. We want to see through our plan with Mathys.”

Freund's comments followed reports in British and German media that Chelsea was interested in signing Tel, with some claiming a swap deal could see out-of-form Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku head to Bayern.

Tel became Bayern's youngest-ever goalscorer when he netted in a cup game in August 2022 at the age of 17 years, 126 days, breaking a record held by teammate Jamal Musiala. He had joined Bayern earlier that year from French club Rennes.

Tel netted 10 goals in all competitions last season but has yet to score in this campaign. He has played 12 games under coach Vincent Kompany in all competitions but started only two of them, with his last start coming in a Bundesliga game Sept. 1.

Bayern next plays Wednesday at home against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga. Kompany signaled Tuesday that attacking midfielder Musiala could return after missing Saturday's 1-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach with an illness.