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| Sibol's Olympic debut will have to wait for two more years. Sibol (file photo) |
MANILA—The first-ever Olympic ESports Games will not happen this year.
The International Olympic Committee announced on Tuesday that the inaugural edition of the Olympiad for video and online games will now take place in 2027 with Saudi Arabia still the host.
The IOC did not give a detailed explanation why the ESports Olympics was pushed back by two years.
However, there will still be a series of activities that will begin this year in the lead-up to the 2027 games to be known as the "Road to the Olympic ESports Games".
“There is now a very clear roadmap to the historic first-ever Olympic Esports Games. With the Road to the Olympic Esports Games starting this year, the Games are becoming a reality. This is further evidence of the strength of the partnership between the IOC and the SOPC (Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee) in many areas,” IOC president Thomas Bach said in a statement.
The IOC also announced that the ESports World Cup Foundation has come on as a founding partner.
The EWCF is the main organizer of the ESports World Cup, the grand showdown between top ESports teams during the midyear.
"We are incredibly proud to be a Founding Partner of the Olympic Esports Games, a groundbreaking event set to debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2027. This historic first edition marks a new era in competitive gaming, and we are excited to be at the forefront!" the EWCF said in a separate statement.
The Philippines, represented by national team Sibol, would have been among the medal favorites for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang had the Olympic ESports Games took place this year as initially scheduled considering the bunch of medals Filipino teams won in the club and national team levels as epitomized by a string of five consecutive seasons an MPL Philippines top contender has won the M-Series World Championship.
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