The International Olympic Committee has called on Japan to host an Olympic Esports Games in 2026, sources familiar with the matter said Friday, according to Kyodo News.

The IOC's inaugural Olympic Esports Week was held in June 2023 in Singapore. Four months later, IOC President Thomas Bach announced plans to create an Olympic Esports Games amid the rapid growth of esports, especially among young people.

Japanese officials are expected to step up talks in 2024 at the IOC's request.

While Japan has been slow to embrace esports, hosting a big esports event could be a chance for the country to regain its footing after Sapporo's withdrawal from the 2030 Winter Olympic bid race.

Led by its royal family, Saudi Arabia plans to launch an annual Esports World Cup in the summer of 2024 and have the largest prize pool in esports history.

Esports will also be played at the 2026 Asian Games, the Asian version of the Olympics, to be co-hosted by Aichi Prefecture and its capital, Nagoya.