The first eSports gaming tournament in the spirit of the Abraham Accords will be held in Tel Aviv, next month. Participants will be joining from the US, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and other countries from across the Middle East. The games are being organized by Israeli-Jewish philanthropist Sylvan Adams and US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides, with the assistance of senior representatives from Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sponsor LionTree LLC, a global investment and merchant bank is highly experienced in the gaming sector, while the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem promotes the values of tolerance and co-existence between Jews, Muslims, and Christians, especially within the framework of the Abraham Accords countries.

Esports Peace Games is a digital video-gaming championship in which national teams from countries in the region will contest the world’s leading competitive Esports titles. Players will participate as either individuals or teams, with competitions including high stake prizes totaling $82,000, and attracting mass sponsorship and global attention. 

With an international industry value expected to reach 1.8 billion USD by 2025, Esports is a growing global phenomenon that attracts an audience as large as 400 million worldwide, according to industry statistics. 

Organizers announced plans to include up to 10 countries in this inaugural mega event at a production cost of $1.5 million, with the hope of expanding and growing the competition in future years. The event will be held at the "Shlomo Group" Arena in Tel Aviv and is expected to attract thousands of spectators from across the country, who will also be able to enjoy an open gaming festival held alongside the tournament, allowing the audience to connect with each other via the gaming world. In addition, the participants from around the world visiting the tournament will take tours and site-seeing trips around Israel.

Co-Chair of the Games, H.E. Thomas R. Nides, US Ambassador to Israel said, “The Abraham Accords are critical to the region’s stability and prosperity. The Biden Administration sees its job as taking the Accords from a start-up to a real operation. And one of the most important mechanisms to accomplish that is building people-to-people connections – the more people understand one another, the easier it is to resolve issues. Especially among young people. This Esports tournament – the first of its kind – is one of many joint cultural activities being organized around the Accords, connecting with the region’s youth to make sure the Accords are sustainable."

Mr. Sylvan Adams, Co-Chair of the Esports Peace Games had this to say: “The Abraham Accords are a game changer for our region, with our new diplomatic relations fostering business, educational, and scientific exchanges. But for this to endure, to weave the warm peace that we all seek in the region, we must have people to people exchanges-sporting, cultural, and especially tourism with our neighbours. Some of my projects, like the Giro D'Italia, and the Middle East Championships of IronMan, have opened up these possibilities. Esports introduces a whole new cohort to Israel. We will welcome the gaming community, and again witness the power of sports to bring people together in friendship in this new Middle East.”

Emmanuel Nahshon, Deputy Director General for Public Diplomacy of Foreign Affairs added that “The Abraham Accords have created a new regional reality of cooperation and friendship. At the Israeli Foreign Ministry, we are proud and happy to cooperate in this wonderful Esports Abraham Accords project, bringing together young people from our region and beyond.”

And, Ido Brosh, President of the Israeli Esports Association: “Israeli gamers have long enjoyed playing online with all peoples, fellow gamers, from all over the world, including the Middle East. To be able to welcome them to Israel is a true honor and a sign of how we share so much more than divides us. I am so grateful to our partners at the MFA, Ambassador Nides, Israel’s unofficial Ambassador-at-large Sylvan Adams, and the team at LionTree for their dedication to launching this initiative and to building peace through Esports and bringing people together.”