عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

Saudi Arabia Presents Bid to Host 2025 Olympic Esports Games

File photo of Saudi flag/Asharq Al-Awsat
File photo of Saudi flag/Asharq Al-Awsat
TT
TT

Saudi Arabia Presents Bid to Host 2025 Olympic Esports Games

File photo of Saudi flag/Asharq Al-Awsat
File photo of Saudi flag/Asharq Al-Awsat

The 142nd session of the International Olympic Committee (142nd IOC Session), held on Tuesday in Paris, reviewed Saudi Arabia's bid to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2025.
The session was chaired by IOC President Dr. Thomas Bach and attended by IOC members.
President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC) Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal, delivered a presentation during the session on Saudi Arabia's readiness and vision for hosting this historic and unprecedented event, SPA reported.
He detailed the Kingdom's capabilities, noting that it has hosted over 100 international sports events since the launch of the Saudi Vision 2030.
Moreover, IOC member Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan, reviewed the significant roles of sports in the Kingdom, highlighting its contributions to sustainability and enhancing global sports standards.
The session commended Saudi Arabia's bid to host the games, affirming that the Kingdom is the best choice for hosting the inaugural Olympic Esports Games due to its expertise and skills in this field.
The official Saudi delegation at the session included SOPC Vice President and Head of the Saudi Delegation to the Paris Olympics Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed; Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Esports Federation (SEF) Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan; and the CEO and Secretary General of the SOPC, Abdulaziz Baeshen.

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

Soccer-FIFA Targeted in European Leagues, FIFPRO'S EU Antitrust Complaint

06 January 2020, Egypt, Giza: The shadows of spectators can be seen on a FIFA banner. (dpa)
06 January 2020, Egypt, Giza: The shadows of spectators can be seen on a FIFA banner. (dpa)
TT
TT

Soccer-FIFA Targeted in European Leagues, FIFPRO'S EU Antitrust Complaint

06 January 2020, Egypt, Giza: The shadows of spectators can be seen on a FIFA banner. (dpa)
06 January 2020, Egypt, Giza: The shadows of spectators can be seen on a FIFA banner. (dpa)

European Leagues and FIFPRO Europe will jointly file a complaint to EU antitrust regulators against FIFA's international match calendar, the sports organization and players union said on Tuesday, intensifying the spat with world soccer's governing body.

The move by the two bodies followed legal action by the English, French and Italian player unions against FIFA on the same issue in a Brussels commercial court last month.

The complaint to the European Commission, which acts as the EU competition enforcer, will be filed in the coming weeks, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said, Reuters reported.

European Leagues and FIFPRO Europe said the international match calendar is now beyond saturation and has become unsustainable for national leagues as well as a risk for the health of players.

FIFA said the current calendar was unanimously approved by the FIFA Council following a comprehensive consultation, which included FIFPRO and league bodies.

"FIFA's calendar is the only instrument ensuring that international football can continue to survive, co-exist, and prosper alongside domestic and continental club football," a FIFA spokesperson said.

"Some leagues in Europe - themselves competition organisers and regulators - are acting with commercial self-interest, hypocrisy, and without consideration to everyone else in the world. Those leagues apparently prefer a calendar filled with friendlies and summer tours, often involving extensive global travel."

European Leagues and FIFPRO Europe also alleged that FIFA's decisions over the last years have repeatedly favoured its own competitions and commercial interest and neglected its responsibilities as a governing body.

"The complaint will explain that FIFA's conduct infringes EU competition law and notably constitutes an abuse of dominance: FIFA holds a dual role as both the global regulator of football and a competition organiser. This creates a conflict of interest," they said.

Last year, FIFA announced that the 2026 World Cup will have 104 matches instead of the traditional 64 games due to the expanded format with 48 teams taking part.