But the vision is still afloat. Probably.
For cycling esports, Olympic inclusion and recognition are more than a dream for the developing discipline. They’re an omnipresent beacon of hope.
It appeared the concept had come to port when, in early 2024, UCI president David Lappartient revealed, “The Olympic Esports Games will start in 2025 and will include cycling esports.”
The Olympic Esports Games would be a standalone event, separate from the traditional Olympic program, showcasing physical virtual sports such as cycling esports and awarding medals and associated athlete honors.
Lappartient, who also leads the IOC’s Esports and Gaming Liaison Group and is finishing out his term as president of the French National Olympic Committee, initially shared hints about the transformative event during a January 2024 one-on-one in Abu Dhabi, which Cycling Weekly later reported.
The stakeholders of the fledgling sport have seen the mainstream recognition, legitimization, and financial ramifications of Olympic medal status as a line to shore ever since Zwift CEO Eric Min said in 2019, “I want this to be a fully-fledged Olympic sport.”
‘It’s not real racing!’ and other myths holding back cycling esports
Until we challenge outdated misconceptions, cycling esports will always be defined by what it isn’t, rather than what it is becoming.
Min laid out his bold plan, announcing that his virtual cycling platform would host the inaugural UCI Cycling Esports World Championship in 2020, on the way to creating a new sporting discipline.
The Olympic Esports Games
However, fans heard little about Lappartient’s overzealous admission until February 2025, when the IOC officially announced that the inaugural Olympic Esports Games would actually take place in 2027, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF), a non-profit funded by the PIF (Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund), claimed a dedication to advancing esports and gaming globally. The organization that hosts the world’s largest esports competition, the Esports World Cup, would serve as the founding partner, in collaboration with Saudi Arabia’s National Olympic Committee.
Outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach cemented this milestone as part of his legacy, declaring, “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.”
The extended timeline was a letdown – especially given the stark contrast with Lappartient – that esports enthusiasts would endure in exchange for propelling the sport into the mainstream.
Stopped before they started
But esports fans didn’t anticipate the gutpunch on October 30, 2025, when the IOC announced that it had mutually agreed with the Saudi Arabian government to cancel the 12-year deal to host and organize the event.
This post is for paying subscribers only
Subscribe now
Already have an account? Sign in
Did we do a good job with this story?
👍Yep
👎Nope