Esports Olympic Games will be ‘huge moment’ for competitive gaming

Organisers of the Esports World Cup have defended the decision to hold the event in Saudia Arabia.

The Arab country, where homosexuality is illegal, has come in for criticism over its stance on LGBT relationships and lack of rights for women.

Similar concerns over “sportswashing” – accusations of hosting big events to distract from these issues – have followed the Olympic announcement.

Alban says his own experiences in Saudi Arabia, where a number of high-profile esports events have been staged, have been positive.

Like the world cup bosses, he also says he’s had assurances from Saudi officials that the competition will be open to anyone regardless of gender or sexuality.

Not everyone is convinced, and the world cup has also faced criticism for a lack of female representation, with just one out of 22 events specifically for women.

The rest are open to anyone but don’t include many female pros.

Alban admits the esports industry has so “failed” female players who are currently under-represented at the top level.

“Talented and gifted players are there, but we don’t give them enough chances to perform at the highest level and we don’t give them enough paths to become pros,” he says.

He promises the Olympic Esports Games will be different and the goal will be for equal participation from the inaugural event next year.

“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,” he says.