Earlier this week, the International Olympic Committee and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced the Olympics Esports partnership. Over the next 12 years, the IOC will be hosting a standalone Esports Olympics competing in racing games, strategy games, and of course Call of Duty.

The Esports edition of the Olympics will feature equal competition with men and women competing on the same teams and the same medals. The Olympics got on board after watching Esports experiments at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. Those competitions offered a first of kind global stage for Esports that was met with lots of enthusiasm. Although Australia hosted the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the IOC will not feature Esports at Australia’s 2026 Olympics.

Which Games Will Be Featured?

The Commonwealth Games featured League of Legends, Rocket League, EA FC, and Street Fighter in its competitions. Call of Duty and Counter Strike are two titles that may not make the cut however. The IOC is weighing the popularity of first-person shooters versus its values. The Committee wonders if the violence depicted in those games runs counter to the magic of the Olympics.

Has Esports Failed Women Gamers?

Many women who game are complaining that the Esports Olympics will be held in a country traditionally hostile to progressive female values and LGBTQ policies. Saudi Arabia has given the IOC assurances women gamers will be treated well and with respect. However, the Esports field has failed women overall.

Women are underrepresented at top-tier levels in Esports, although the talent is there.

There’s a commitment to aim for full parity. And that would be a game changer, not just for the Olympics, but for esports too.

-Alban Dechelotte, Esports Olympics Advisor

Esports is being taken very seriously. The sports category has consistently grown over the last two decades with tournaments featured on ESPN. The Commonwealth Games experiment proved a hungry audience is interested in seeing this kind of competition, and maybe one day we’ll see Esports featured at the main 4-year event.