Recent News

• IESF Announces Full Roster of Speakers for GEES21 (8/25/2021)

  An exciting lineup of speakers from the World Esports Family are set for both days of the Global Esports Executive Summit.

  There is just one week to go until IESF’s 6th annual Global Esports Executive Summit (GEES21) gets underway. IESF and its partners continue to make final preparations for what promises to be another enlightening hybrid event, taking place online and streaming live around the world from the Busan Esports Arena on August 31st and September 1st. 

  Following the last announcement of prominent speakers for the first day of the Summit, IESF is pleased to release the full roster of expert guest speakers, presenters, and panelists that will contribute to the event’s second day of Esports programing.

  Day two of GEES21 will include a brand new addition to the Summit – the World Esports Awards, which will take place on September 1st at 16:00 KST. This exciting new inclusion will present awards for Game of the Year, Team of the Year, Athlete of the Year and Organizer of the Year . The inaugural World Esports Awards will recognize and celebrate the best of the best in international Esports.

  The second day of programing will also include two (2) sessions titled “Integrating Esports into Education ” and “Understanding the Esports Technological Landscape. ”

  Agenda 1: Integrating Esports into Education

  GEES21 aims to advance the integration of Esports into global education systems. Games-based learning continues to gain momentum as a medium for students to learn content, and for the development of critical 21st century skills, including collaboration with team members and analytical problem solving. 

  This session will include two panel discussions. The first panel discussion is called A Holistic Look at Esports Research, and the second is titled Good Practices in Esports Education Programs .

  IESF is excited to welcome the following esteemed contributors to GEES21:

  Panel Discussion – A Holistic Look at Esports Research

  Moderator: Nesligül Deniz Kolaşinli , Founder and Researcher, Ludos Co., IESF EDU, WIGJ

  PanelistsTobias Scholz , Assistant Professor, University of Siegen David P. Hedlund, Ph.D. , Professor, Author, Researcher and Entrepreneur, St. John’s University and Hedlund-Chuang Consulting Group, LLC Angelica B. Ortiz de Gortari , Lead Researcher, Centre for the Science of Learning & Technology (SLATE) at the University of Bergen Dr. BerNadette Lawson-Williams , Full Professor of Sport Management/Founder/Advisor, Esports & Gaming Trifecta, the first at an HBCU, Johnson C. Smith University

  Panel Discussion – Good Practices in Esports Education Programs

  Moderator: Saygın Kolaşinli , Partnerships Manager, Gamelevate

  PanelistsJohn L. Cash, Jr ., Managing Director and Professor, Johnson C. Smith University, Cxmmunity, and The Narmer Group LLC Richard Withers , Esports Development Manager, Kajaani University of Applied Sciences (KAMK) Serhat Bekdemir , Commissioner, IESF EDU Melissa Burns , Founder/President, Esport Canada

  Agenda 2 : Understanding the Esports Technological Landscape

  GEES21 promotes analysis and discussion around the various technologies that contribute to the evolution of the Esports ecosystem.  This includes the exploration of new Esports applications, and evaluating real and potential advances in Esports technology. 

  This session will feature a keynote address titled “New Esports Technologies ” and a panel discussion titled “New Frontiers in Esports Technology .”

  Keynote Speech – New Esports Technologies

  Keynote Address: Byungjoo Lee , Department of Computer Science Professor, Yonsei University

  Panel Discussion – New Frontiers in Esports Technology

  Moderator: Adveta Dwivedi , Head of Growth, Gamers Hub Middle East

  Panelists Lance Mudd , Director of International Expansion, eFuse Daniel Sieradzan , CEO, StreamCards Miquel Matthys , CEO, 3D Aim Trainer Anders Blume , Creative Director, Skybox Erik Lydecker Founder/CEO, Pluck GG

  The full list of speakers can be found at gees.iesf.org .

  IESF extends its sincere gratitude to all of its partners, speakers and participants, and looks forward to warmly welcoming the World Esports Family at GEES21!

  About Global Esports Executive Summit (GEES)

  GEES21 is set to take place live on August 31st and September 1st at the Busan Esports Arena in Busan, South Korea, and around the world with the hybrid offline/online format. The theme for this year’s summit is “Evolving and Adapting” , and after the success of last year’s event (also hybrid), participants from IESF’s over 100 member federations are eager to get to work discussing the most pressing Esports issues, and planning for the future of the booming industry.

  There are five (5) core areas planned for the two-day event. 

  Fostering Growing Relationships The Next Level of Esports Diversity and Inclusion in Esports Integrating Esports into Education Understanding the Esports Landscape

  Since 2015, GEES has gathered key Esports and sports stakeholders from around the globe to create an environment for discussion, education, and action towards Esports development through conferences, exhibitions, academic lectures, and networking events.

  If you would like to participate in GEES21, either live or as an online delegate, you can register for free at gees.iesf.org

  GEES21 is supported by Busan Metropolitan City, the Korean Ministry of Sports and Tourism, and the Busan IT Promotion Agency. 

  About the International Esports Federation  IESF is the unifying body for World Esports. Founded in 2008 by nine-member nations, IESF is currently composed of over 100 Member Federations across five continents. IESF brings together all Esports stakeholders to achieve a united ecosystem for the development of sustainable and responsible gaming worldwide. The IESF Esports World Championship is the biggest multi-sport spectacle of Esports in the world. IESF also organizes the annual Global Esports Executive Summit in order to support the highest standard of Esports governance worldwide.

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=6590
  Originally published on: Wed, 25 Aug 2021 13:34:42 +0000

• EXEEDME IS PORTUGUESE ESPORTS FEDERATION NEW PARTNER (8/17/2021)

  The Portuguese Esports Federation (PESF) announces a new partnership agreement with Exeedme, the first Portuguese Play2Earn platform.

  Under the agreement, Exeedme will sponsor the Portuguese national teams in the European Nations Cup and Esports World Championship, competitions organized by the European Federation of Esports (EEF) and the International Federation of Esports (IESF), and provide the platform to organize the qualifiers to determine the Portuguese rosters of the national teams.

  About the Portuguese Esports Federation

  The Portuguese Esports Federation (PESF) or Federação Portuguesa de Desportos Eletrónicos (FPDE) in Portuguese was created in 2016 and aims to be the governing body of Esports in Portugal. Member of the International Esports Federation (IESF) and of the European Esports Federation (EEF), its mission is to educate the population about what Esports is and to promote its practice in a healthy way, to ensure the development of the ecosystem, to support all athletes and represent and support clubs at national and international levels. For more information visit FPDE website at: www.fpde.pt.

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=6569
  Originally published on: Tue, 17 Aug 2021 02:03:44 +0000

• IESF Announces Speakers for First Day of GEES21 on August 31 (8/13/2021)

  Top executives from IESF, ESL Gaming and Sandbox Gaming highlight a roster of speakers at the largest edition of the Global Esports Executive Summit.

  The countdown to GEES21 is officially ON! With less than a month to go, IESF is putting the final touches on what promises to be another exciting and productive hybrid live/online event. Set to take place in Busan, South Korea at the Busan Esports Arena on August 31st and September 1st, this year’s Global Esports Executive Summit will once again boast an exciting roster of guest speakers, presenters, and panelists who will be participating from all around the world.

  Today, IESF released the list of keynote speakers and panelists for the first day of the production, which covers three (3) of the five (5) core areas titled Fostering Growing Relationships, The Next Level of Esports, and Diversity and Inclusion in Esports.

  Agenda 1 : Fostering Growing Relationships

  This area will delve into the ways in which the Esports ecosystem and traditional sports industries can find areas of common-ground for crossover, convergence, and co-operation.

  Keynote Speaker – Bringing Our Communities Together

  𐄼 Vlad Marinescu , President, International Esports Federation (IESF)

  Panel Discussion – Encouraging Esports and Traditional Sports Crossover

  𐄼 David Shin , Business Development Manager & Project Manager, Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) [Moderator]

  𐄼 Alex Inglot , Commissioner of ESL Pro League & Player Representative on Board of ATP

  𐄼 Ravneet Gill , Founder and CEO, New Horizons Alliance  [Panelist]

  𐄼 Sean Zhang , CEO, Talon Esports

  𐄼 Rodrigo Quesada , Business Development Director, Cedar Group  [Panelist]

  Agenda 2 : The Next Level of Esports

  Under this agenda, the keynote session will deliver on the opportunity to contribute to the local youth industry through local Esports team franchising.

  The panel discussion will examine the ways in which the Esports industry has adapted to the global COVID-19 situation, and what long-term effects the pandemic will have on the Esports industry.

  Keynote Speaker – Leveraging the Esports Advantage

  𐄼 Pilsung Lee , Co-founder and CEO, Sandbox Network and Sandbox Gaming

  Panel Discussion – How COVID-19 has changed Esports Industry

  𐄼 Ashley Kang , Founder & Lead Content Producer, Korizon [Moderator]

  𐄼 Madiha Naz , Team Captain, Galaxy Racer Esports (GXR) [Panelist]

  𐄼 Minseong Kim , Player Manager, New York Excelsior  [Panelist]

  𐄼 Baro Hyun , Director & Author, Big 4 Consulting Firms  [Panelist]

  𐄼 Peeyush Kumar , Founder & CEO, Crowd Control Esports  [Panelist]

  Agenda 3 : Diversity and Inclusion in Esports

  This area will discuss the importance of global expansion, diversifying brand partnerships, and encouraging participation across all borders, cultures, races, religions, and genders as key factors for success.

  Keynote Speaker – Empowering Women in Esports

  𐄼 Jenn Mac , Director of Global Partnerships, Women in Games International (WIGI)

  Panel Discussion – Expanding Market and Brand Partners

  𐄼 Jenn Mac , Director of Global Partnerships, Women in Games International (WIGI) [Moderator]

  𐄼 Fernando Pereira , Co-Founder, GIRLGAMER Esports Festival  [Panelist]

  𐄼 Lucy Chow , Ambassador, Women in Games (WIGJ)  [Panelist]

  𐄼 Donovan Auyong , Senior Business Development Manager – Asia, ESL Gaming  [Panelist]

  𐄼 Alwin Wong , Head of Business Development & Partnerships, CAPSL Entertainment  [Panelist]

  Special Session: The Importance of Esports Associations and Federations

  This special session will delve into the important role of Esports associations and federations play  in the World Esports family, as they help unify, grow and facilitate programs for communities at all levels.

  Speaker

  𐄼 Ido Brosh , Board Member and Director of Global Programs, International Esports Federation (IESF)

  IESF would like to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to all of the announced speakers and look forward to welcoming the World Esports Family at GEES21!

  About GEES21

  GEES21 is set to take place live on August 31st and September 1st at the Busan Esports Arena in Busan, South Korea, and around the world with the hybrid offline/online format. The theme for this year’s summit is “Evolving and Adapting” , and after the success of last year’s event (also hybrid), participants from IESF’s 104 member nations and stakeholders from Esports and Sports are eager to get to work discussing the most pressing Esports issues, and planning for the future of the booming industry.

  There are five (5) core areas planned for the two-day event.

  𐄼 Encouraging Esports and Traditional Sports Crossover

  𐄼 The Next Level of Esports

  𐄼 Diversity and Inclusion in Esports

  𐄼 Integrating Esports into Education

  𐄼 Understanding the Esports Landscape

  Since 2015, GEES has gathered key Esports and sports stakeholders from around the globe to create an environment for discussion, education, and action towards esports development through conferences, exhibitions, academic lectures, and networking events.

  If you would like to participate in GEES21, either live or as an online delegate, you can register for free at gees.iesf.org

  GEES21 is supported by Busan Metropolitan City, the Korean Ministry of Sports and Tourism, and the Busan IT Promotion Agency.

  About the International Esports Federation

  IESF is the unifying body for World Esports. Founded in 2008 by nine-member nations, IESF is currently composed of over 100 Member Federations across five continents. IESF brings together all Esports stakeholders to achieve a united ecosystem for the development of sustainable and responsible gaming worldwide. The IESF Esports World Championship is the biggest multi-sport spectacle of Esports in the world. IESF also organizes the annual Global Esports Executive Summit in order to support the highest standard of Esports governance worldwide.

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=6555
  Originally published on: Fri, 13 Aug 2021 15:31:30 +0000

• IESF and Esports BAR Partner to Help Build a Sustainable Esports Environment (8/10/2021)

  The International Esports Federation (IESF) and Esports BAR are pleased to announce a partnership that will help accelerate the development of professional Esports around the world.

  Esports BAR is the only international esports B2B matchmaking and networking event, uniquely designed to accelerate long-term partnerships and expand internationally.

  Since IESF is working consistently to promote esports and all its values, this partnership is beneficial for everyone in the industry.

  This year Esports BAR returns to Cannes, France, and will be held on October 13-15, 2021 as a physical event. The organisers will also host a three-day virtual conference focusing on esports development in the Asia Pacific region on October 20-22, just a week after the physical event in Cannes. 

  IESF Secretary General Boban Totovski said: “As an International Federation we are always finding new ways to support, guide and educate our Member Federations and the World Esports family. Since Esports BAR became one of the must-attend esports events worldwide we saw an opportunity to work together on our goals to unite the esports community and promote esports as a true sport beyond barriers.’’ 

  Maria Perez Belliere, Global Sales Director at Esports BAR said: “IESF is considered today as a valuable player for the development of esports internationally. Esports BAR’s role is to support initiatives that leave a positive impact within the esports ecosystem. Our collaboration with IESF is a step forward to build a sustainable environment for all parties involved.”

  About the International Esports Federation 

  IESF is the unifying body for World Esports. Founded in 2008 by nine-member nations, IESF is currently composed of 106-member nations across five continents. IESF brings together all esports stakeholders to achieve a united ecosystem for the development of sustainable and responsible gaming worldwide. The IESF Esports World Championship is the biggest multi-sport spectacle of esports in the world. IESF also organises the annual Global Esports Executive Summit in order to support the highest standard of esports governance worldwide.

  About Esport BAR

  Esports BAR is part of RX France, the world-leading organiser of entertainment content events. Their roots stretch across the world of entertainment. Their mission is committed to transforming the sport of the digital generation into the future of entertainment by providing Esports industry leaders with the most efficient and meaningful B2B events. In 2017, Esports BAR Cannes launched onto the scene as a three-day event taking place each year, in the same venue as the iconic Cannes Film festival.

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=6526
  Originally published on: Tue, 10 Aug 2021 08:52:05 +0000

• The Israeli Esports Championship 2021 gets underway (8/9/2021)

  Following years of growth in Israeli Esports, Haifa City and the Israeli Gaming Channel announce the official 2021 Israeli National Esports Championships by the Israeli Esports Association.

  As part of the collaboration, the championship will be produced offline, and the competition games will be conducted at the “Miller House” – the Center for Digital Communication and Innovation of the City of Haifa.

  For the very first time, the championship will be broadcasted on TV live on the newly launched Israeli Gaming Channel (channel 66 on HOT).

  The finals will be held over two days of special broadcasts with live audience from the Beat Club in Haifa, conducted in collaboration with Tiltan School of Game Design & Visual Communication.

  This is the first edition of the national championships since 2017 to be conducted in front of a live audience.

  Photo: Anita Kreppel

  This year’s edition of the championship will include competitions in eight (8) popular game titles, including: CS: GO, Valorant, Rocket League, Tekken, PES eFootball and others.

  Winners of selected competitions will join the Israeli national team and participate in the IESF 13th World Championships in Eilat, Israel, hosted by the Israeli Esports Association and Maccabi World Union this November.

  Ido Brosh, President, Israeli Esports Association: “After nearly two years of very challenging online Esports activity, I am super proud and excited for the unique collaboration that was created with Haifa City and the Gaming Channel. The 2021 National Championships promises to be the largest and best competitive Esports series in the history of the event, and we look forward to watching the broadcasts and finding out who will represent Israel in the World Championships. I congratulate the event’s Organizing Committee headed by Gil Ronen and thank our partners in Haifa City and the Gaming Channel for supporting the vision of the Championship. Good luck to all participants!”

  Moshe Bachar, Director of Miller House and Community Communications at Haifa City: “Gaming and Esports has become very popular and important activity in recent years. Haifa City is the first city in Israel to realize the potential and lift the gauntlet to become the Gaming Capital of the Israeli north. We are pleased to host this year’s National Championships and welcome any gaming initiative to promote Esports in Israel.”

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=6498
  Originally published on: Mon, 09 Aug 2021 07:33:25 +0000

• IESF and MEI Partner to Support the Development of Esports in China (8/4/2021)

  The International Esports Federation (IESF) and Major Events International (MEI) are delighted to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further the development of professional Esports in China.

  At a time where the Esports industry is growing exponentially year on year, the MoU aims to support IESF’s strategy to expand responsible gaming in China. China has been a member of IESF since 2016. This involves promoting wider participation, hosting more competitions and creating a stronger brand presence. IESF will have access to MEI’s strong local presence in China and work together with MEI’s Chinese regional office to achieve these objectives.

  IESF Secretary General Boban Totovski said: “MEI brings together Rights Holders and Host Cities with the support of their commercial company network. This provides a platform for our development and engagement in China and is a formula that IESF embraces, enhancing our philosophy of collaboration and partnership. This is the reason why we decided to choose MEI as our support partner for such a strategic market as China.”

  MEI Chief Executive Officer Dennis Mills, said: “We have been incredibly impressed with the ambition and clearly articulated global strategy of the IESF leadership team. Building on their support to our Summits and helping them identify sponsors for their own activities, this China-focused project is a logical next step in our relationship. MEI routine operations in China involve support to significant sports related infrastructure, effective event hosting as well as attracting iconic World Championships, so the IESF relationship is entirely compatible with these existing objectives.

  International Esports Federation :

  IESF is the unifying body for World Esports. Founded in 2008 by nine-member nations, IESF is currently composed of 106-member nations across five continents. IESF is the only International Federation that brings together all Esports stakeholders to achieve a united ecosystem for the development of sustainable and responsible gaming worldwide. The IESF Esports World Championship is the biggest multi-sport spectacle of Esports in the world. IESF also organizes the annual Global Esports Executive Summit in order to support the highest standard of Esports governance worldwide.

  For more information email office@iesf.org

  Find out more at w ww.IESF.org

  Major Events International :

  MEI specialises in helping International Federations, Host Cities, Commercial Companies and Government Agencies succeed in the opportunities arising from bidding and hosting Sports events. MEI provide an interface between these organisations and those that they want to engage with to help them achieve their objectives. A single point of contact for support delivers a key account manager and where necessary a local presence in host countries backed by a higher international market profile.

  For more information email: enquiries@majoreventsint.com

  Find out more at: www.majoreventsinternational.com

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=6463
  Originally published on: Wed, 04 Aug 2021 11:48:05 +0000

• IESF AND WHITE LITE PARTNER TO STRENGTHEN THE LATAM WORLD ESPORTS FAMILY (7/20/2021)

  The International Esports Federation (IESF) is proud to announce a new partnership agreement with live event production company White Lite LLC to host more Esports tournaments in the Latin American (LATAM) region.

  IESF Secretary General Mr. Boban Totovski said: “We are very grateful for the opportunities this new partnership with White Lite will create for Esports athletes, officials and fans in the LATAM region. IESF will invest more resources towards developing Esports in the region as part of IESF’s commitment to unifying and strengthening the World Esports family and supporting our 106 Member Federations.”  

  As a part of the agreement, IESF and White Lite will collaborate in staging an IESF LATAM Open Esports Championships. The Championship aims to make Esports mainstream by offering the world Esports community an opportunity to experience and gain access to world-class Esports tournaments.

  White Lite LLC Manager Javier Goicoechea said: “White Lite is extremely excited and committed to delivering a major Esports event for the LATAM region through our partnership with IESF. At White Lite, we are passionate about the events business and collaborating with IESF’s expertise and fast growing network of Member Federations. I see this as a win-win for the Esports ecosystem in the LATAM region. Our ultimate endeavour is to support LATAM athletes by offering them the highest quality of Esports events.”

  Beginning in 2022, the LATAM Esports family will benefit from more than (5) Latin American Esports Championships. All passionate Esports athletes who reside in the LATAM region will be provided an opportunity to register and compete in the events.

  The pre-qualifications for the Championship finals will be hosted online, and the finals comprising of the top 10 players from each country will be staged in-person at the finals in a pre-selected host country.

  IESF Board Member and Director of Global Programs Mr. Ido Brosh “As the IESF family continues to grow, we’re thrilled to see more Esports athletes recognize the tremendous benefits that come with professional Esports competitions. This partnership with White Lite is another step in IESF’s journey to develop gaming worldwide and provides the ultimate environment for athletes to perform at their best.”

  About the International Esports Federation

  IESF is the unifying body for World Esports. Founded in 2008 by nine-member nations, IESF is currently composed of 106-member nations across five continents. IESF brings together all Esports stakeholders to achieve a united ecosystem for the development of sustainable and responsible gaming worldwide. The IESF Esports World Championship is the biggest multi-sport spectacle of Esports in the world. IESF also organizes the annual Global Esports Executive Summit in order to support the highest standard of Esports governance worldwide.

  About the Whilte Lite LLC

  White Lite LLC is a company dedicated to the realization and technical production of shows and live events in Latin America. In the wake of the 2020 pandemic, it specializes in the streaming market, virtual platforms, XR and new technologies applied to entertainment.

  White Lite LLC, in collaboration with Swiss Quality Events, is the official delivery partner of the LATAM events, a company with solid experience in sports management, sponsorship, production and marketing of large events. It aims to position and develop Esports tournaments in Latin America. Swiss Quality Events has been instrumental in expanding their traditional sports business model into the fast expanding world of Esports. 

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=6378
  Originally published on: Tue, 20 Jul 2021 08:34:23 +0000

• Connect with the Esports Universe! (7/14/2021)

  Gearing Up for GEES21!

  The International Esports Federation (IESF) is excited to announce that the 6th edition of the Global Esports Executive Summit (GEES) 2021 will take place on August 31 and September 1, 2021.

  Watch the Video

  Following GEES20, and in light of the ongoing travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, GEES21 will be a hybrid event. The summit will be hosted in-person at the Busan Esports Arena in Busan, South Korea and online around the world, as it shapes up to be a truly unique and groundbreaking event.

  Attendees from IESF’s 104 member federations will be able to participate virtually in key discussions about issues affecting the international Esports industry. Networking is a cornerstone of the annual event, and attendees will partake in interactive and engaging experiences through the GEES21 platform.

  Throughout GEES21, five core areas will be presented by influential speakers, including athletes and high-level executives from Esports and traditional sports industry, under the theme of Evolving and Adapting.

  Fostering Growing Relationships The Next Level of Esports Diversity and Inclusion in Esports Integrating Esports into Education Understanding the Esports Landscape

  IESF Secretary General Boban Totovski said: “We are looking forward to the largest edition of the Global Esports Executive Summit (GEES21) this year. The summit provides a platform for international Esports and sports leaders and stakeholders from IESF’s 104 member federations to openly discuss the positive synergies between traditional sports and Esports. This year’s theme of ‘Evolving and Adapting’ resonates across the entire sports industry given the changes we’ve all had to make throughout the pandemic ”

  In 2021, plans have been made to allow speakers to participate and contribute both live at the venue and online, including keynote speeches and panel discussions that will be live on the GEES21 platform and on-screen at the Busan Esports Arena.

  The speakers will be announced soon. Stay tuned for more information and updates for GEES21! 

  Click Here for GEES21 Official Website

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=6314
  Originally published on: Wed, 14 Jul 2021 11:31:40 +0000

• Gamers Without Borders smashes its own records (7/14/2021)

  Nine-week online event reaffirms its position as charity gaming behemoth 161,396 people registered and 90,440 community matches by half-way point Elite series have attracted thousands more – and 35 million views of live stream Gamers Without Borders still has four weeks to run and is open to all

  The Saudi Esports Federation’s COVID-19 fundraiser Gamers Without Borders has continued to reach and break new milestones for charity gaming after uniting more than 160,000 global gamers online in just four weeks.

  Since getting underway on June 7, the $10million gaming festival has managed to reaffirm its position as the world’s biggest charity Esports event by welcoming gamers from 77 countries to more than 100,000 online matches by only its halfway point – an increase of more than 30,000 gamers on the same stage in 2020’s debut event.

  In its elite series – where the biggest Esports athletes and franchises in the world go head-to-head for a share of the charity prize-fund – more than $4million has already been donated to the likes of UNICEF, Gavi and Direct Relief to support vaccine distribution in the world’s most vulnerable nations, following epic tournaments on titles including EA SPORTS FIFA 21, Fortnite and GS: GO – with another $6million to go.

  Those events have drawn more than 35 million online streams, with an enormous global audience tuning in for in excess of 5.6 million hours so far.

  Megastar names & a social media smash-hit

  Gamers Without Borders’ elite series tournaments have also attracted a plethora of A-list superstars to its live stream broadcast from its spell-binding virtual studio, including Ronaldinho, Sergio Ramos, Anthony Joshua, Jesse Lingard, Chance The Rapper and Dele Alli.

  That has helped the Esports festival to a whopping 178 million views on its social content, driving more than 1.7 million gamers to its website as the event grows almost in every way since its debut last year.

  His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, chairman of organizers the Saudi Esports Federation, said:

  “Within a week of our debut Gamers Without Borders back in 2020, we could already see the impact that the festival had. Gamers united in support of those suffering most and those on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19.

  “That global battle continues, with gamers across the world, doing their part. The proof of that is in the phenomenal number of gamers already seen getting involved in this year’s Gamers Without Borders, where our mission is to leave no one behind and do what we can to get much-needed COVID-19 vaccines distributed in the world’s most vulnerable nations.

  “Both our elite series and community tournaments have been at the heart of that, where we have seen some incredible action over the last four-and-a-half weeks. I look forward to seeing what the remainder of this year’s Gamers Without Borders will bring to gamers in every corner of the globe.”

  Elite and community tournaments unite the gaming world

  Gamers Without Borders community tournaments are an online battleground for amateur gamers of all abilities, where prizes are up for grabs every single day. To date, they have seen 161,396 people register, and 153,125 gamers play 90,440 matches on titles including EA SPORTS FIFA 21, Call of Duty, Fortnite and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege.

  Those tournaments have comprised more than 750 marathon tournaments, from which there have been winners from 38 different countries, altogether winning worth almost $220,000.

  Across Gamers Without Borders’ international elite series, 100+ of the world’s best Esports teams have already gone head-to-head, drawing 35,790,224 stream views online.

  Learning initiatives inspire next-gen gamers

  As well as its playing and watching platforms, Gamers Without Borders has also been running a free and unrivalled series of learning initiatives aimed at inspiring the next generation of game designers, through its learning hub.

  To date, 4٬604 people have taken part in its ‘Make It & Play It’ program, with 1,149,400 views of its catalogue of digital webinars to date.

  Get involved

  With so much action and learning still to come, there has never been a better time to get involved in Gamers Without Borders . Gamers of all abilities can register to play as part of the event by visiting www.gamerswithoutborders.com , where streaming information for all the event’s live elite series action can be found too.

  The festival is also open to donations, all of which will go directly to humanitarian organizations supporting COVID-19 vaccine distribution in the world’s most vulnerable nations: UNICEF, Gavi, Direct Relief, the International Medical Corps and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Centre.

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=6309
  Originally published on: Wed, 14 Jul 2021 04:59:16 +0000

• IESF delivers first-of-its-kind International Esports Referee Academy to bring the highest standard of training to Esports referees (7/9/2021)

  The International Esports Federation (IESF) is pleased to announce the launch of the first-ever year-round online International Esports Referee Academy on July 9th, 2021.

  Watch the Introduction Video

  Following the success of IESF’s annual referee training courses from 2018 to 2020, the new e-learning program has been launched to support the next wave of Esports referees from around the world. The Academy is dedicated to developing the highest standards of referee training for IESF’s 104 member nations. 

  IESF President Vlad Marinescu said: “As Esports continues to grow, education plays a vital role in ensuring the proper development of Esports in every nation around the world. The International Esports Referee Academy is just another step in IESF’s commitment to uniting the World Esports community to support accessible, sustainable and responsible gaming worldwide.”

  The Academy’s comprehensive curriculum has been designed by IESF and its partners to educate and increase the expertise of both international and national and Esports referees. The curriculum focuses on topics such as match dispute handling and techniques, Esports ethics, advanced competitive structures, and international Esports industry knowledge.

  IESF Board Member and Director of Global Programs Ido Brosh said: “The International Esports Referee Academy will go a long way to ensuring the highest standards for refereeing for future events in the international Esports industry. This will be the first year-round program of its kind and we are very proud to see the Academy get underway to contribute to the professional development and success of all Esports athletes, teams, officials and events on the world stage.”

  The Academy will provide a new, accessible pathway for Esports athletes to learn about Esports refereeing and potentially pursue a career in the officiating side of Esports. At the completion of the Academy, participants will receive IESF certification.

  Alongside the referee training courses, the Academy will also launch a “Basic Tournament Administration” course, offered for free to anyone via online registration on the IESF website. The course is aimed at community tournament organizers and newcomers to Esports administration.

  The International Esports Referee Academy is one of three pillars of the World Esports R&D Center, operated by IESF with the continued support of the Busan Metropolitan City and the Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency (BIPA).

  IESF welcomes the World Esports family to participate in the Academy! For more information about how you can become an IESF certified referee, please visit academy.iesf.org

  About the International Esports Federation 

  IESF is the unifying body for World Esports. Founded in 2008 by nine-member nations, IESF is currently composed of 104-member nations across five continents. IESF brings together all Esports stakeholders to achieve a united ecosystem for the development of sustainable and responsible gaming worldwide. The IESF Esports World Championship is the biggest multi-sport spectacle of Esports in the world. IESF also organizes the annual Global Esports Executive Summit in order to support the highest standard of Esports governance worldwide. 

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=6288
  Originally published on: Fri, 09 Jul 2021 08:39:45 +0000

• HISTORICAL SUPPORT AND RECOGNITION IN VENEZUELA (7/2/2021)

  VENEZUELAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (COV) CELEBRATED THE FOUNDATION OF THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT AND ESPORTS

  After various protocol acts, the president of the Venezuelan Olympic Committee –COV- Eduardo Álvarez Camacho, inaugurated an initiative to provide support and recognition to the federative sports movement. The event was held at La Casa Venezuela, a spacious facility in Caracas city, which was refurbished to become the home of national sports federations with no headquarters.

  Through a formal consignment act, Professor Álvarez handed over the keys to the first offices to various federative leaders, including Emgelbert Farfán, president of the Venezuelan Electronic Sports Federation (FVDE).

  Emgelbert Farfán, president of the Venezuelan Electronic Sports Federation (FVDE) said: “On behalf of all the Esports athletes of our country, we, the FVDE board and all of our team, want to express our deep gratitude to the entire COV family, especially to Professor Eduardo Alvares and Dr. Elida Parraga for all the support for the development and growth of the Esports in our country. Their vision and trust commit us to continue working and giving the best of ourselves as a platform for the projection of human resources at a national, regional, and international level from this new space. We hope together with all federative colleagues to take on new challenges and leave the name of Venezuela high. Thank you!!”

  Emgelbert Farfán has a degree in Social Communication. He has dedicated his entire professional life to developing the country’s video games and digital entertainment industry. With more than 17 years of experience, he continues to bet on the growth of this sector despite the hostile conditions for his union. Among his career and achievements, the following stand out: being a Founding Member and Executive Director of the largest call event about games in his country, GAMEXPO; be an activist in defence of the rights of independent developers, users and wholesalers, as president of the Foundation for Information and Protection of Video Game Users Filantropía, which since 2009 has been fighting a vindication battle against the infamous instrument of censorship of the Law for the Prohibition of Video Games and War Toys, its consequences have led to a devastating drain of talent and human resources in the sector. Currently, the foundation has made progress with the new permanent Commission of science, technology, education and health of the National Assembly in Venezuela.

  Emgelbert Farfán has made an invaluable contribution to the Esports movement in his country by obtaining international recognition and certifications as a full member of the International Esport Federation (IESF), the World Esports Consortium (WESCO) and the Pan American Esports Confederation (PAMESCO). With this achievement, he has been appointed as a member of the PAMESCO Board of Directors, where he hopes to continue supporting the continental movement.

  “We are going through the golden age of the flourishing and progressive consolidation of the Esports ecosystem. I am happy with this historical movement with a group of extraordinary leaders from more than 18 member nations of PAMESCO. We will have the enormous responsibility of projecting the region and highlighting the best of each organized movement and high performance in Latin America and the Caribbean, to position ourselves as referents in the most prestigious international stages.” said Emgelbert Farfán, president of the Venezuelan Electronic Sports Federation (FVDE) .

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=6194
  Originally published on: Fri, 02 Jul 2021 08:27:14 +0000

• IESF Partners with NASEF and Appoints Gerald Solomon as its Chair of World Esports Education Commission (7/1/2021)

  The partnership will embed NASEF’s leading scholastic approach to help IESF’s 104 Member Federations connect learning and Esports

  The International Esports Federation (IESF ) today announced that it is partnering with the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF ) and appointing Gerald Solomon, NASEF’s executive director, as Chair of the World Esports Education Commission. IESF will now exclusively utilize NASEF’s curriculum and programs to enable educators around the world to leverage Esports as a tool for education and career preparation. 

  The Esports industry is booming worldwide, with revenue predicted to grow 14.5% in 2021 from the previous year (Source – Newzoo’s Global Esports & Live Streaming Market Report, 2021) . With that level of growth, career opportunities abound. Meanwhile, young people worldwide have a significant and growing interest in Esports and are eager to develop related skills, not only in video gameplay but also in the ecosystem that surrounds the gamers.

  As a result of the partnership, IESF will utilize NASEF’s Department of Education-approved standards-based high school, Career Tech and middle school curriculum to develop and implement a global functional scholastic Esports system. NASEF will provide all IESF member national federations with program guidelines and professional development and training for members’ implementation. To lead this global effort, Gerald Solomon, founder and executive director of NASEF, has been appointed head of the IESF World Esports Education Commission and charged with developing and scaling this scholastic approach to Esports. 

  “Through this partnership, IESF will be providing significant additional education resources to our 104 member nations,” said Vlad Marinescu, President of IESF .“ Across the world, educators are looking for compelling ways to connect with their students and teach them valuable skills in an enjoyable atmosphere. NASEF has spent years developing and refining its scholastic Esports system, this alliance will allow us to leverage that expertise for the benefit of IESF students and athletes worldwide.”

  “Independent research demonstrates NASEF’s success in leveraging Esports for meaningful education. Youth around the world are enthralled with Esports, so it makes sense to connect play and learning for all kids, no matter where they reside or their living circumstances. We’re excited to work with IESF member nations to implement our scholastic Esports programs to positively impact their students and position them to thrive and acquire the skills needed for high-demand careers,” said Gerald Solomon, founder and executive director of NASEF . 

  About International Esports Federation (IESF)

  IESF is the unifying body for World Esports. Founded in 2008 by nine-member nations, IESF is currently composed of 104-member nations across five continents. IESF brings together all Esports stakeholders to achieve a united ecosystem for the development of sustainable and responsible gaming worldwide. The IESF Esports World Championship is the biggest multi-sport spectacle of Esports in the world. IESF also organizes the annual Global Esports Executive Summit in order to support the highest standard of Esports governance worldwide.

  About NASEF

  NASEF is a non-profit that provides opportunities for all students to use Esports as a platform to develop STEAM-based skills and social emotional attributes needed to thrive in work and in life. NASEF has created classroom curriculum, a model for afterschool club structure and involvement, and a series of Beyond the Game challenges to build skills. All of them offer meaningful career and STEAM education alongside tournaments

  Learn more at the IESF website or the NASEF website . 

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=6186
  Originally published on: Thu, 01 Jul 2021 09:23:15 +0000

• Ukrainian Championship 2021 (6/25/2021)

  The Ukrainian Esports Federation is pleased to announce the new largest esports championship in CS:GO and Dota 2 disciplines – the Ukrainian Championship 2021 .

  The largest competition from UESF supported by Parimatch and Eldorado will take place from July 17th to October 3rd, 2021. The Grand final of the Ukrainian Championship will take place in Kyiv (in the WePlay Esports Arena Kyiv) in the middle of October . The matches of the Ukrainian Championship will be broadcast on TV with the support of the Megogo media service.

  The total prize fund of the competition will be UAH 1.5M (approx. USD 55K) . Out of this amount, UAH 1M (approx. USD 37K) will be distributed among the prize-winners of the competition, UAH 250K (approx. USD 9K) will be awarded to the prize-winners in the form of gaming devices provided by the tournament’s partners, and the remaining UAH 250K (approx. USD 9K) will be raffled off in the form of gaming devices, monitors, and gaming PCs between the viewers of the Ukrainian Championship and UESF subscribers on social networks.

  The Ukrainian Championship will be held by the Ukrainian Esports Federation together with the general partners Parimatch and Eldorado. Rocket, WePlay Esports and MEGOGO became the title partners. Official partners of the event include RAZER, Samsung, ExpertPC, and Esports Charts.

  PRIZE POOL DISTRIBUTION

  Ukrainian CS:GO Championship super-playoffs prize pool:

  1st place – UAH 200K + Samsung LC27RG50 monitor (х5) 2nd place – UAH 100K + Razer BlackShark V2 headphones (x5) 3rd place – UAH 50K + Razer BlackShark V2 headphones (x5) 4th place – UAH 35K 5th place – UAH 26K 6th place – UAH 26K 7th place – UAH 21.5K 8th place – UAH 21.5K

  CS:GO League A playoffs prize pool:

  5th place – Razer Huntsman TE keyboard (x5) 6th place – Razer Viper mouse (x5) 7th place – UAH 5K 8th place – UAH 5K

  CS:GO League B playoffs prize pool:

  5th place – Razer Huntsman TE keyboard (x5) 6th place – Razer Viper mouse (x5) 7th place – UAH 5K 8th place – UAH 5K

  Ukrainian Dota 2 Championship super-playoffs prize pool:

  1st place – UAH 200K + Samsung LC27RG50 monitor (х5) 2nd place – UAH 100K + Razer BlackShark V2 headphones (x5) 3rd place – UAH 50K + Razer BlackShark V2 headphones (x5) 4th place – UAH 35K 5th place – UAH 26K 6th place – UAH 26K 7th place – UAH 21.5K 8th place – UAH 21.5K

  Dota 2 League A playoffs prize pool:

  5th place – Razer Huntsman TE keyboard (x5) 6th place – Razer Viper mouse (x5) 7th place – UAH 5K 8th place – UAH 5K

  Dota 2 League B playoffs prize pool:

  5th place – Razer Huntsman TE keyboard (x5) 6th place – Razer Viper mouse (x5) 7th place – UAH 5K 8th place – UAH 5K

  COMPLETION OF REGISTRATION AND START OF MATCHES

  Registration for the Ukrainian CS:GO and Dota 2 Championship will be closed on July 13th, 2021 at 10 PM . From July 14th to July 16th, participants who have registered and received confirmation from the panel of judges of the competition will gradually receive invitations to the group on the FACEIT platform. The start of the Ukrainian Championship matches is scheduled for July 17th – at 11 AM.

  Registration CS:GO Registration Dota 2 Regulations

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=6157
  Originally published on: Fri, 25 Jun 2021 01:50:58 +0000

• IESF Welcomes France, Greece, Kosovo and Spain as New Members to the World Esports Family (6/25/2021)

  The International Esports Federation (IESF) has announced the newest four (4) member nations to join the World Esports family.

  With the additions of France, Greece, Kosovo and Spain from Europe, IESF has reached a new record of 104 member nations across five continents.

  IESF’s continued expansion drives its mission to create a thriving Esports ecosystem that enhances the growth of large Esports economies and simultaneously supports the development of grassroots-level nations.  

  “We are very pleased to welcome our new members, France, Greece, Kosovo and Spain, to the World Esports family,” said IESF Secretary-General Boban Totovski .

  “IESF is committed to supporting the growth and development of our member nations with training and education initiatives such as the IESF referee academy and training program. We are looking forward to working on behalf of our new members, and all of our members worldwide, to help shape the future of Esports.”

  The four new IESF member nations are represented through their respective national Esports Associations.

  Tristan Brandily, President of French Federation of Video Games (FFJV) said: “The FFJV is a French organization which aims to democratize video games in France. Created in 2013, the FFJV is committed to promoting the benefits of using video games. When FFJV started setting up national cups in 2019, the only logical thing was to join the IESF in 2021 to promote esports and bring it closer to the general public. Even if the main action of the FFJV relates to the prevention and awareness of video game addictions, the competitive side remains an important part of the process.”

  Konstantinos Laskaris, Founder of Greece Esports Federation “Hellenic Esports” said:  “We are delighted to represent our country on the global stage as part of the IESF. We will unite the esports in Greece and soon become a full member.” 

  Besnik Thaqi, Vice President of Esports Federation of Kosovo said: “We are very honored to be accepted to be part of the International Esports Federation. Growing together and becoming a recognized sport and a recognized moving force will be our mission. We are looking forward to sending our best teams to the upcoming World Championship in Eilat.”

  Marco Antonio Ramos Hernández, President of the Spanish Federation of Videogames and Esports Players  (FEJUVES) said: “For the Spanish Esports Federation, it’s a great honor to become a member of the IESF. We will begin a path to create the most exciting competition to participate in the international tournaments. With the support from the Spanish Olympic Committee, we assume the challenge of developing an Esports strategy in Spain.”

  The full list of 104 IESF member federations can be found here .

  About the International Esports Federation 

  IESF is the unifying body for World Esports. Founded in 2008 by nine-member nations, IESF is currently composed of 104-member nations across five continents. IESF brings together all Esports stakeholders to achieve a united ecosystem for the development of sustainable and responsible gaming worldwide. The IESF Esports World Championship is the biggest multi-sport spectacle of Esports in the world. IESF also organizes the annual Global Esports Executive Summit in order to support the highest standard of Esports governance worldwide.

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=6154
  Originally published on: Fri, 25 Jun 2021 01:35:34 +0000

• Gamers Without Borders is back! (6/21/2021)

  $10million charity esports festival returns this summer with the world’s biggest teams, titles, and a fresh mission – to vaccinate the world’s most vulnerable

  Online esports extravaganza returns this month after mega-success in 2020 Nine weeks of elite level esports & community gaming for all, starting June 7th Theme of ‘No One Left Behind’ will see $10m+ go to global vaccine distribution Viewer donations will also go towards helping world’s most vulnerable nations Debut GWB attracted streaming audience of 14m and 460,000 online gamers

  The world’s biggest charity esports festival Gamers Without Borders is back for 2021 – bringing with it another $10million in the fight against COVID-19 and a summer of unmissable live action for gamers across the planet.

  Gamers Without Borders will be donating that sum and more as it unites the gaming world in its second extravaganza of esports entertainment, all aimed at helping those in the most desperate need during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

  Held under the theme ‘No One Left Behind’, the online festival’s $10million charity prize-fund will once again be fought over in Gamers Without Border’s six-week elite series , where the best gamers on the planet will go head-to-head on titles including Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Fortnite, Rocket League, PUBG MOBILE and CS:GO.

  All shares of the charity cash they win will go directly towards vaccine distribution in the world’s poorest countries – with all the action playing out live from the festival’s unique virtual studio, to be broadcast in seven different languages to a truly global audience.

  Gamers Without Borders’ community tournaments – a free-for-all battleground for gamers of all abilities – also return, with daily marathon and play-and-go tournaments across the above games, plus the likes of Overwatch, Tekken 7, NBA2K and Call of Duty. The first contest gets underway on June 7th .

  His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan is chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation, who are behind the gaming festival – which is organized in partnership with European esports giants, ESL.

  He said: “We truly believe in the power of gaming and esports. We know what gamers can do when they unite behind a cause – and there is no bigger global cause than fighting this virus. It is important to understand that even with vaccines rolling out in developed nations, millions of others face the possibility of not being vaccinated for months or maybe years. 

  “Our mission is ‘No One Left Behind’. We want to connect, inspire and entertain the international gaming community to ensure we leave no one behind in supporting the world’s ongoing recovery from COVID-19. We will be bringing the biggest names, elite teams, epic titles, and brand-new gaming experiences to excite fans across the globe.

  “Gamers Without Borders is a virtual festival for all – an open invitation to show that no matter your background or nationality, gaming and esports truly transcends borders as a positive force for good.”

  In its debut last year, Gamers Without Borders smashed all expectations, attracting 460,000 gamers from 141 countries to 200,000+ community matches, and a streaming audience of more than 14million to its elite series action.

  Its $10million prize-fund was shared between charities including UNICEF, Gavi, Direct Relief and the International Medical Corps, and went directly to supporting efforts on the frontline of COVID-19, such as providing life-saving health supplies, water and hygiene facilities, and keeping young people connected to education and protection amidst the pandemic.

  UNICEF return as one of Gamers Without Borders partner charities for this summer’s festival.

  Carla Haddad Mardini, Director of UNICEF’s Division for Private Fundraising and Partnerships, said: “UNICEF is leading the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation ever undertaken in delivering two billion COVID-19 vaccines by the end of the year.

  “We are grateful to the winners of the first Gamers Without Borders edition last year who donated their prize money to help us continue to accelerate and respond to COVID-19 immediate needs. We would be delighted if this year’s winners would also donate to UNICEF to help us get COVID-19 vaccines to those that need them most.”

  As well as near-constant gaming action across its nine weeks, Gamers Without Borders is this year elevating its accompanying entertainment schedule, with everything from magazine-style review and analysis streams, to talk shows, live comedy and even live concerts.

  After hosting the likes of Snoop Dogg, Liam Payne, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dele Alli and Paulo Dybala in 2020, gamers can expect this summer’s event to continue with similar A-list appearances, with virtual fan meet-and-greets lined-up too.

  The festival’s Learning Hub will also return; a series of free-to-all training programs aimed at those wanting to develop a career in gaming, organised in partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT), beginning June 14th .

  Team-wise, expect the biggest franchises in esports, all of whom fans will be able to watch live and, in the process, donate money to the cause.

  Gamers Without Borders gets underway with its opening community tournaments on June 7th , registration for which will be available soon at www.gamerswithoutborders.co m

  All the festival’s live elite-level action will be available to stream live via the Gamers Without Borders’ website, YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels.

  Source: http://iesf.org/?p=6101
  Originally published on: Mon, 21 Jun 2021 08:43:10 +0000

• HanbitSoft’s AUDITION is back to the IESF’s Esports World Championship as a promoted title (6/17/2021)

  IESF is pleased to announce that AUDITION is back as a promoted title for the13th Esports World Championship, Eilat 2021!

  As a promoted title, AUDITION will be operated in individual format and players presenting their nations will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals.

  AUDITION uses their own K-pop as well as the latest K-pop, leading the K-pop trend worldwide. It also contains fashion items of the latest trends as well as traditional costumes from around the world, making it a perfect game for players from all over the world to play with “K-POP, Dance, Fashion, and Community.”

  The game is played by pressing the arrows displayed on the screen as well as the spacebar or control key on every 4th beat of the song. The more accurately the spacebar or control key is pressed, the higher the score. That’s the dynamic point of winning or losing in just 0.1 seconds, and this part of the game is a fun and exciting addition to the event.

  AUDITION was first introduced at the IESF’s 12th Esports World Championship to the participants and global viewers of the event, with 1st place to Domin “Fabulous” Ahn of Korea. The matches gathered fans worldwide for watching players simulate dancing using the keyboard to control their avatars that dance with or against other players. IESF hopes to see him make his way to Eilat, Israel, to defend his gold medal at this year’s event.

  Stay tuned for more updates to be announced in the following days!

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=5687
  Originally published on: Mon, 15 Mar 2021 06:10:18 +0000

• eFootball PES series return for the IESF’s 13th Esports World Championship (6/17/2021)

  IESF is pleased to announce that KONAMI’s eFootball PES series will return for its third year as an official game title for the 13th Esports World Championship, EILAT 2021 to be held in Eilat, Israel later this year.

  With its long history of international appeal, eFootball is a natural choice for international Esports competition. The game will be played on Playstation®4 during the IESF competition. IESF looks forward to continuing to engage the global PES community in making this game an exciting part of international Esports competitions into the future.

  The eFootball PES series tournaments were a centerpiece of the 11th and 12th Esports World Championship. IESF hopes to see the best player from all over the world and make their way to Eilat, Israel, to have their championship medal at this year’s event.

  Stay tuned for more game titles to be announced in the following days!

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=5647
  Originally published on: Mon, 08 Mar 2021 06:21:46 +0000

• Six New Nations Join IESF (6/17/2021)

  IESF is excited to announce the admission of six new national members. The membership expanded within three (3) continents as Djibouti from Africa, Honduras and Suriname from America as well as Armenia, Croatia and Lithuania from Europe. 

  Mr. Boban Totovski, Secretary General, stated, “I am happy to send my sincere congratulations to our newest members and wish them: welcome aboard! We are excited to have more countries and communities as part of theIESF family. We hope that by supporting national federations in those countries, we can stimulate the growth of the Esports communities there and everywhere else.”

  The nations are represented through their respective national Esports Organizations:

  ARMENIA – Armenian Esports Federation CROATIA – Croatian eSports Federation DJIBOUTI – Djibouti esports LITHUANIA – Lithuanian electronic sports association HONDURAS – Federacion Hondureña de E-sports SURINAME – Esports Suriname

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=5854
  Originally published on: Wed, 21 Apr 2021 07:02:58 +0000

• IESF reveals the last game title for the upcoming 13th Esports World Championship (6/17/2021)

  International Esports Federation (IESF) announces Tekken 7 as the last official game title for its 13th Esports World Championship, Eilat, Israel.

  IESF is very pleased to announce that Tekken 7 will be returning to the IESF 13th Esports World Championship, Eilat, Israel, later this year. 2021 marks the 8th time since the game title has been included in IESF’s event since 2012.

  Tekken 7 (Tekken means “Iron Fist” in Japanese) is published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The popular 1:1 fighting game’s arcade version was first released in 1994, and the home version was released in 1995.

  With the announcement, IESF confirms that all three games from the 12th Esports World Championship would be back with more games for IESF’s flagship international competition, which has taken place annually since 2009.

  All athletes who shall participate in the Tekken 7 game title at IESF’s 13th Esports World Championship shall be selected by member national federations affiliated to IESF.

  IESF’s Esports World Championship is the IESF’s flagship competition, where all the players from all over the world participate in a unique and vibrant tournament while representing their national flag. The event is the only major Esports tournament featuring national teams, and this year’s competition is expected to be the largest one to date, with approximately 80 nations set to participate.

  IESF looks forward to seeing the world’s best represent their countries in these titles and more at this year’s 13th Esports World Championship in Eilat, Israel.

  For more information regarding the 13th Esports World Championship, follow the IESF Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn and Instagram .

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=5929
  Originally published on: Wed, 12 May 2021 01:03:41 +0000

• IESF Partners with Immun Active as Official Beverage (6/17/2021)

  The International Esports Federation (IESF) is excited to announce that a long-term cooperation agreement was signed with Immun Active on 30th April 2021, appointing Immun Active the official beverage partner of IESF.

  The two organizations are now working together to make further improvements and make Immun Active drink available to all players in every country, improving the fitness, concentration and reaction time of the competitors, thus raising the standard of the tournaments and increasing the base of game fans.

  Immun Active is the latest brand of a leading participant in the market of beverage production and international beverage trade for almost 20 years. The idea of product development was to produce a complex product that combines the beneficial effects of vitamin drinks with the functionality of sports drinks. The development of an uncompromising recipe in collaboration with a German laboratory was already in full swing when Mr. Vlad Marinescu, President of the International Esports Federation (IESF) and Mr Attila Bognár, Managing Director of Immun Active, met by chance. From then on, the development continued to take into account the special needs of Esports athletes, and the Immun Active vitamin drink and Immun Active Esports product family was born.

  The vitamin drink family focuses on the overall health of gamers, condition, attention, relaxation, ongoing maintenance and balance of immunity, while the professional Esports drink turbocharges players in a competitive situation and helps them get the most out of it.

  IESF President, Vlad Marinescu said “It is an honour for us to partner with Immun Active in order to bring to the market and specifically made for Esports players a drink that is healthy and supports the performance of our community. We are excited for the drink to reach the market soon and we are sure that such a fresh and tasty beverage will only further support and promote a healthy lifestyle”.

  IESF is a non-profit organization founded in 2008 by nine-member nations from Europe and Asia. Now, after 12 years of history, we have reached 100 member nations, consistently working to promote Esports as a true sport beyond barriers. IESF organizes annual World Championships and strives to ensure the synergy between stakeholders. IESF has been a WADA Signatory since 2013. Key IESF activities include the IESF World Championships, the IESF General Assembly uniting all National Federations, and the Global Esports Executive Summits.

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=5876
  Originally published on: Thu, 06 May 2021 02:42:24 +0000

• Record 85 Countries Registered to Participate in the 2021 IESF Esports World Championship (6/17/2021)

  International Esports Federation (IESF) confirms that eighty-five (85) national members have submitted the first entry registration for the 13th Esports World Championships, EILAT 2021. Esports athletes from 85 nations are set to begin their quests for gold, silver and bronze medals during the national qualifiers taking place between June and August. 61 nations participated in the 2020 World Championships, while 50 participated in the 2019 World Championships.

  IESF’s 13th Esports World Championship, EILAT 2021, will see athletes compete for national glory in DOTA 2, CS:GO, Tekken 7 and eFootball PES Series. The tournament will be hosted by the Israeli Esports Association and Maccabi World Union.

  Ido Brosh, President of the Israeli Esports Association and IESF’s Director of Global Programs : “With 85 registered national teams, this year is going to be the greatest yet for the IESF Esports World Championships. I’d like to thank the team at IESF, IESA and Maccabi World Union for their efforts, and I am looking forward to watching the games in the online Regional Stages, ahead of hosting all the national athletes and delegates in the global finals in Eilat”.

  Following the success of the previous World Championships, participating nations will be divided into continental regions. The Regional Tournaments of the World Championship will be held online from September to October 2021. Finalists from each region and title will be patched to the Finals offline in Eilat, Israel, in November 2021. 

  IESF President Vlad Marinescu stated: “IESF is incredibly excited for the 13th edition of our World Championships, the largest IESF event to date. Eilat 2021 will showcase and unify Esports athletes from a record 85 nations. This a true representation of IESF’s commitment to the growth and development of sustainable and responsible gaming worldwide.”

  For more information regarding the 13th Esports World Championship, follow the IESF Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn and Instagram . 

  IESF Esports World Championship is IESF’s flagship competition and serves as the world’s only multi-game Esports tournament that features national teams. IESF confirms 85 nations joining its 13th edition of the Esports World Championship, which will feature CS:GO, DOTA, eFootball PES Series and Tekken 7 tournaments.

  IESF  is a non-profit organization founded in 2008 that consistently promotes Esports as a true sport beyond language, race and cultural barriers. IESF is composed of more than 100 members across all continents, organizes annual World Championships and strives to ensure the synergy between stakeholders ensuring athletes rights.

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=5967
  Originally published on: Fri, 21 May 2021 01:13:31 +0000

• IESF Launches Bidding Process for 14th Esports World Championship 2022 (6/17/2021)

  International Esports Federation (IESF) is inviting potential hosts for IESF 14th Esports World Championship 2022.

  The Esports World Championship is IESF’s flagship competition and serves as the world’s only multi-game Esports tournament that features national teams. Athletes from over 60 nations have participated in the unique and vibrant event while representing their national flags. Upcoming Esports World Championships are expected to present more athletes from over 100 nations as IESF has expanded its member nations.

  The 12th Edition of IESF Esports World Championship in 2020 attracted over 1.5 million unique viewers across all of IESF’s platforms, and the tournament is set to build momentum and engage new fans in 2021 and 2022.

  BID PROCESS OVERVIEW

  Interested parties are invited to review the bid book (Click Here ) for detailed information and requirements for hosting the event.

  The bid documents contain pages of useful information for prospective host cities of 14th Esports World Championship, outlining the benefits for hosts, the social and environmental impact, and the revenue potential.

  To initiate the bidding process, interested parties should first download and review the bid information (Click Here ) Potential hosts must submit a Letter of Intent by July 5th, 2021 . Consultations with interested parties Application – A completed bid package Evaluation and Site Survey Presentation to IESF Voting Process

  IESF President, Vlad Marinescu , stated: “The IESF flagship event, the World Championships, which unites National Teams from over 100 countries across five game titles is now open for bidding. We are proud to announce the bidding process for the 14th edition of these World Championships 2022 and look forward to working closely with bidding nations during this process in order to ensure the best possible conditions for the Esports athletes and community. We are sure this event will enjoy worldwide media exposure and participation of more than 1000 athletes.”

  Youngman Kim, IESF Vice President, said: “IESF Esports World Championship will bring the most contemporary Esports trend to your community. It will change the way of communication between generations and garner greater understanding between them. Join us and experience the most exciting sports we all can enjoy.”

  If you have any questions about the event bidding process, please contact IESF Secretariat at office@iesf.org .

  IESF  is a non-profit organization founded in 2008 that consistently promotes Esports as a true sport beyond language, race and cultural barriers. IESF is composed of more than 100 members across all continents, organizes annual World Championships and strives to ensure the synergy between stakeholders ensuring athletes rights. IESF has been a WADA Signatory since 2013. Key IESF activities include the IESF World Championships, the IESF General Assembly uniting all National Federations and the Global Esports Executive Summit.

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=5956
  Originally published on: Tue, 18 May 2021 11:00:32 +0000

• The Chelyabinsk Major, that’s what they called it. (6/17/2021)

  On May 22-23, the finals of the Russian Esports Championship 2021 took place at Yunost Sports Palace in Chelyabinsk. This year, the tournament featured six esports titles: Dota 2, StarCraft II, NHL 21, Tekken 7, DCL ¬– the Game (drone racing simulator), and Clash Royale.

  The Russian Esports Championship is an official sport competition included in the Unified Calendar Plan of the Russian Ministry of Sports, which is held annually by the Russian Esports Federation . This year, more than 20 thousand players from all over the country took part in the competition. The championship was held with the support of the Governor and the Ministry of Sports of the Chelyabinsk oblast.

  Video of the opening ceremony

  Players representing the host of the Championship took two medals – gold in NHL21 and bronze in Tekken 7. On the whole, along with the record number of titles, the representativeness of regions among the winners also is outstanding this year. First places were taken by players from Moscow oblast (Clash Royal), Altai Republic (StarCraft II), Chelyabinsk oblast (NHL21), Mordovia (Tekken 7), North Ossetia (DCL), Mari El (Dota 2). The list of winners and prize-holder is below,

  Clash Royale:

  1st place – Daniil Smorodin (Moscow oblast)

  2nd place – Khizir Ersimikov (Republic of Chechnya)

  3rd place – Adel Bashirov (Tomsk oblast)

  4th place – Ilya Kazantsev (Republic of Mari El)

  StarCraft II:

  1st place – Nikita Gurevich (Altai Republic)

  2nd place – Vitaly Roshchin (Kemerovo oblast)

  3rd place – Sergey Kondaurov (Voronezh oblast)

  4th place – Matvey Yarkov (Sverdlovsk oblast)

  NHL 21:

  1st place – Maxim Trukhanov (Chelyabinsk oblast)

  2nd place – Sergey Filippov (Republic of North Ossetia-Alania)

  3rd place – Alexander Zverev (Tomsk oblast)

  4th place – Semyon Litvak (Bashkortostan)

  Tekken 7:

  1st place – Mikhail https://iesf.org/?p=5993
  Originally published on: Wed, 02 Jun 2021 04:37:52 +0000

• IESF Global Esports Academic Competition 2021 (6/17/2021)

  IESF is officially inviting applications for the IESF Global Esports Academic Competition (GEAC) 2021!

  GEAC 2021 promotes and activates Esports academic research globally and contributes to the Esports industry by providing its own research. Starting IESF’s first-ever Global Esports Academic competition, IESF will support and encourage Esports-related research for Esports to increase its educational foundation for further growth in the future.

  GEAC is part of IESF’s Global Esports R&D Center, which is operating with the support of Busan Metropolitan City and Busan Information Promotion Agency.

  In GEAC 2021, ‘Call for Papers’ and ‘Research Request’ will be open for applicants globally, and the selected applicants will have the following benefits:

  Certificate Prize Award (Call for Papers) / Research Support Fund (Research) Post on IESF Archive (newly launching in 2021) Presentation opportunities at IESF Global Esports Academic Seminar 2021

  Download the Information for Submission(Click Here ) for more details for ‘Call for Papers’ and ‘Research Request.’ Should you have any questions, please contact academia@iesf.org.

  Source: https://iesf.org/?p=6040
  Originally published on: Mon, 14 Jun 2021 06:58:42 +0000

• IESF Global Esports Academic Competition 2021 (6/14/2021)

  IESF is officially inviting applications for the IESF Global Esports Academic Competition (GEAC) 2021!

  GEAC 2021 promotes and activates Esports academic research globally and contributes to the Esports industry by providing its own research. Starting IESF’s first-ever Global Esports Academic competition, IESF will support and encourage Esports-related research for Esports to increase its educational foundation for further growth in the future.

  GEAC is part of IESF’s Global Esports R&D Center, which is operating with the support of Busan Metropolitan City and Busan Information Promotion Agency.

  In GEAC 2021, ‘Call for Papers’ and ‘Research Request’ will be open for applicants globally, and the selected applicants will have the following benefits:

  Certificate Prize Award (Call for Papers) / Research Support Fund (Research) Post on IESF Archive (newly launching in 2021) Presentation opportunities at IESF Global Esports Academic Seminar 2021

  Download the Information for Submission(Click Here ) for more details for ‘Call for Papers’ and ‘Research Request.’ Should you have any questions, please contact academia@ie-sf.org.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=6040
  Originally published on: Mon, 14 Jun 2021 06:58:42 +0000

• The Chelyabinsk Major, that’s what they called it. (6/2/2021)

  On May 22-23, the finals of the Russian Esports Championship 2021 took place at Yunost Sports Palace in Chelyabinsk. This year, the tournament featured six esports titles: Dota 2, StarCraft II, NHL 21, Tekken 7, DCL ¬– the Game (drone racing simulator), and Clash Royale.

  The Russian Esports Championship is an official sport competition included in the Unified Calendar Plan of the Russian Ministry of Sports, which is held annually by the Russian Esports Federation . This year, more than 20 thousand players from all over the country took part in the competition. The championship was held with the support of the Governor and the Ministry of Sports of the Chelyabinsk oblast.

  Video of the opening ceremony

  Players representing the host of the Championship took two medals – gold in NHL21 and bronze in Tekken 7. On the whole, along with the record number of titles, the representativeness of regions among the winners also is outstanding this year. First places were taken by players from Moscow oblast (Clash Royal), Altai Republic (StarCraft II), Chelyabinsk oblast (NHL21), Mordovia (Tekken 7), North Ossetia (DCL), Mari El (Dota 2). The list of winners and prize-holder is below,

  Clash Royale:

  1st place – Daniil Smorodin (Moscow oblast)

  2nd place – Khizir Ersimikov (Republic of Chechnya)

  3rd place – Adel Bashirov (Tomsk oblast)

  4th place – Ilya Kazantsev (Republic of Mari El)

  StarCraft II:

  1st place – Nikita Gurevich (Altai Republic)

  2nd place – Vitaly Roshchin (Kemerovo oblast)

  3rd place – Sergey Kondaurov (Voronezh oblast)

  4th place – Matvey Yarkov (Sverdlovsk oblast)

  NHL 21:

  1st place – Maxim Trukhanov (Chelyabinsk oblast)

  2nd place – Sergey Filippov (Republic of North Ossetia-Alania)

  3rd place – Alexander Zverev (Tomsk oblast)

  4th place – Semyon Litvak (Bashkortostan)

  Tekken 7:

  1st place – Mikhail https://ie-sf.org/?p=5993
  Originally published on: Wed, 02 Jun 2021 04:37:52 +0000

• Record 85 Countries Registered to Participate in the 2021 IESF Esports World Championship (5/21/2021)

  International Esports Federation (IESF) confirms that eighty-five (85) national members have submitted the first entry registration for the 13th Esports World Championships, EILAT 2021. Esports athletes from 85 nations are set to begin their quests for gold, silver and bronze medals during the national qualifiers taking place between June and August. 61 nations participated in the 2020 World Championships, while 50 participated in the 2019 World Championships.

  IESF’s 13th Esports World Championship, EILAT 2021, will see athletes compete for national glory in DOTA 2, CS:GO, Tekken 7 and eFootball PES Series. The tournament will be hosted by the Israeli Esports Association and Maccabi World Union.

  Ido Brosh, President of the Israeli Esports Association and IESF’s Director of Global Programs : “With 85 registered national teams, this year is going to be the greatest yet for the IESF Esports World Championships. I’d like to thank the team at IESF, IESA and Maccabi World Union for their efforts, and I am looking forward to watching the games in the online Regional Stages, ahead of hosting all the national athletes and delegates in the global finals in Eilat”.

  Following the success of the previous World Championships, participating nations will be divided into continental regions. The Regional Tournaments of the World Championship will be held online from September to October 2021. Finalists from each region and title will be patched to the Finals offline in Eilat, Israel, in November 2021. 

  IESF President Vlad Marinescu stated: “IESF is incredibly excited for the 13th edition of our World Championships, the largest IESF event to date. Eilat 2021 will showcase and unify Esports athletes from a record 85 nations. This a true representation of IESF’s commitment to the growth and development of sustainable and responsible gaming worldwide.”

  For more information regarding the 13th Esports World Championship, follow the IESF Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn and Instagram . 

  IESF Esports World Championship is IESF’s flagship competition and serves as the world’s only multi-game Esports tournament that features national teams. IESF confirms 85 nations joining its 13th edition of the Esports World Championship, which will feature CS:GO, DOTA, eFootball PES Series and Tekken 7 tournaments.

  IESF  is a non-profit organization founded in 2008 that consistently promotes Esports as a true sport beyond language, race and cultural barriers. IESF is composed of more than 100 members across all continents, organizes annual World Championships and strives to ensure the synergy between stakeholders ensuring athletes rights.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5967
  Originally published on: Fri, 21 May 2021 01:13:31 +0000

• IESF Launches Bidding Process for 14th Esports World Championship 2022 (5/19/2021)

  International Esports Federation (IESF) is inviting potential hosts for IESF 14th Esports World Championship 2022.

  The Esports World Championship is IESF’s flagship competition and serves as the world’s only multi-game Esports tournament that features national teams. Athletes from over 60 nations have participated in the unique and vibrant event while representing their national flags. Upcoming Esports World Championships are expected to present more athletes from over 100 nations as IESF has expanded its member nations.

  The 12th Edition of IESF Esports World Championship in 2020 attracted over 1.5 million unique viewers across all of IESF’s platforms, and the tournament is set to build momentum and engage new fans in 2021 and 2022.

  BID PROCESS OVERVIEW

  Interested parties are invited to review the bid book (Click Here ) for detailed information and requirements for hosting the event.

  The bid documents contain pages of useful information for prospective host cities of 14th Esports World Championship, outlining the benefits for hosts, the social and environmental impact, and the revenue potential.

  To initiate the bidding process, interested parties should first download and review the bid information (Click Here ) Potential hosts must submit a Letter of Intent by July 5th, 2021 . Consultations with interested parties Application – A completed bid package Evaluation and Site Survey Presentation to IESF Voting Process

  IESF President, Vlad Marinescu , stated: “The IESF flagship event, the World Championships, which unites National Teams from over 100 countries across five game titles is now open for bidding. We are proud to announce the bidding process for the 14th edition of these World Championships 2022 and look forward to working closely with bidding nations during this process in order to ensure the best possible conditions for the Esports athletes and community. We are sure this event will enjoy worldwide media exposure and participation of more than 1000 athletes.”

  Youngman Kim, IESF Vice President, said: “IESF Esports World Championship will bring the most contemporary Esports trend to your community. It will change the way of communication between generations and garner greater understanding between them. Join us and experience the most exciting sports we all can enjoy.”

  If you have any questions about the event bidding process, please contact IESF Secretariat at office@ie-sf.org .

  IESF  is a non-profit organization founded in 2008 that consistently promotes Esports as a true sport beyond language, race and cultural barriers. IESF is composed of more than 100 members across all continents, organizes annual World Championships and strives to ensure the synergy between stakeholders ensuring athletes rights. IESF has been a WADA Signatory since 2013. Key IESF activities include the IESF World Championships, the IESF General Assembly uniting all National Federations and the Global Esports Executive Summit.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5956
  Originally published on: Tue, 18 May 2021 11:00:32 +0000

• IESF reveals the last game title for the upcoming 13th Esports World Championship (5/12/2021)

  International Esports Federation (IESF) announces Tekken 7 as the last official game title for its 13th Esports World Championship, Eilat, Israel.

  IESF is very pleased to announce that Tekken 7 will be returning to the IESF 13th Esports World Championship, Eilat, Israel, later this year. 2021 marks the 8th time since the game title has been included in IESF’s event since 2012.

  Tekken 7 (Tekken means “Iron Fist” in Japanese) is published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The popular 1:1 fighting game’s arcade version was first released in 1994, and the home version was released in 1995.

  With the announcement, IESF confirms that all three games from the 12th Esports World Championship would be back with more games for IESF’s flagship international competition, which has taken place annually since 2009.

  All athletes who shall participate in the Tekken 7 game title at IESF’s 13th Esports World Championship shall be selected by member national federations affiliated to IESF.

  IESF’s Esports World Championship is the IESF’s flagship competition, where all the players from all over the world participate in a unique and vibrant tournament while representing their national flag. The event is the only major Esports tournament featuring national teams, and this year’s competition is expected to be the largest one to date, with approximately 80 nations set to participate.

  IESF looks forward to seeing the world’s best represent their countries in these titles and more at this year’s 13th Esports World Championship in Eilat, Israel.

  For more information regarding the 13th Esports World Championship, follow the IESF Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn and Instagram .

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5929
  Originally published on: Wed, 12 May 2021 01:03:41 +0000

• IESF Partners with Immun Active as Official Beverage (5/7/2021)

  The International Esports Federation (IESF) is excited to announce that a long-term cooperation agreement was signed with Immun Active on 30th April 2021, appointing Immun Active the official beverage partner of IESF.

  The two organizations are now working together to make further improvements and make Immun Active drink available to all players in every country, improving the fitness, concentration and reaction time of the competitors, thus raising the standard of the tournaments and increasing the base of game fans.

  Immun Active is the latest brand of a leading participant in the market of beverage production and international beverage trade for almost 20 years. The idea of product development was to produce a complex product that combines the beneficial effects of vitamin drinks with the functionality of sports drinks. The development of an uncompromising recipe in collaboration with a German laboratory was already in full swing when Mr. Vlad Marinescu, President of the International Esports Federation (IESF) and Mr Attila Bognár, Managing Director of Immun Active, met by chance. From then on, the development continued to take into account the special needs of Esports athletes, and the Immun Active vitamin drink and Immun Active Esports product family was born.

  The vitamin drink family focuses on the overall health of gamers, condition, attention, relaxation, ongoing maintenance and balance of immunity, while the professional Esports drink turbocharges players in a competitive situation and helps them get the most out of it.

  IESF President, Vlad Marinescu said “It is an honour for us to partner with Immun Active in order to bring to the market and specifically made for Esports players a drink that is healthy and supports the performance of our community. We are excited for the drink to reach the market soon and we are sure that such a fresh and tasty beverage will only further support and promote a healthy lifestyle”.

  IESF is a non-profit organization founded in 2008 by nine-member nations from Europe and Asia. Now, after 12 years of history, we have reached 100 member nations, consistently working to promote Esports as a true sport beyond barriers. IESF organizes annual World Championships and strives to ensure the synergy between stakeholders. IESF has been a WADA Signatory since 2013. Key IESF activities include the IESF World Championships, the IESF General Assembly uniting all National Federations, and the Global Esports Executive Summits.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5876
  Originally published on: Thu, 06 May 2021 02:42:24 +0000

• Six New Nations Join IESF (4/21/2021)

  IESF is excited to announce the admission of six new national members. The membership expanded within three (3) continents as Djibouti from Africa, Honduras and Suriname from America as well as Armenia, Croatia and Lithuania from Europe. 

  Mr. Boban Totovski, Secretary General, stated, “I am happy to send my sincere congratulations to our newest members and wish them: welcome aboard! We are excited to have more countries and communities as part of theIESF family. We hope that by supporting national federations in those countries, we can stimulate the growth of the Esports communities there and everywhere else.”

  The nations are represented through their respective national Esports Organizations:

  ARMENIA – Armenian Esports Federation CROATIA – Croatian eSports Federation DJIBOUTI – Djibouti esports LITHUANIA – Lithuanian electronic sports association HONDURAS – Federacion Hondureña de E-sports SURINAME – Esports Suriname

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5854
  Originally published on: Wed, 21 Apr 2021 07:02:58 +0000

• HanbitSoft’s AUDITION is back to the IESF’s Esports World Championship as a promoted title (3/15/2021)

  IESF is pleased to announce that AUDITION is back as a promoted title for the13th Esports World Championship, Eilat 2021!

  As a promoted title, AUDITION will be operated in individual format and players presenting their nations will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals.

  AUDITION uses their own K-pop as well as the latest K-pop, leading the K-pop trend worldwide. It also contains fashion items of the latest trends as well as traditional costumes from around the world, making it a perfect game for players from all over the world to play with “K-POP, Dance, Fashion, and Community.”

  The game is played by pressing the arrows displayed on the screen as well as the spacebar or control key on every 4th beat of the song. The more accurately the spacebar or control key is pressed, the higher the score. That’s the dynamic point of winning or losing in just 0.1 seconds, and this part of the game is a fun and exciting addition to the event.

  AUDITION was first introduced at the IESF’s 12th Esports World Championship to the participants and global viewers of the event, with 1st place to Domin “Fabulous” Ahn of Korea. The matches gathered fans worldwide for watching players simulate dancing using the keyboard to control their avatars that dance with or against other players. IESF hopes to see him make his way to Eilat, Israel, to defend his gold medal at this year’s event.

  Stay tuned for more updates to be announced in the following days!

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5687
  Originally published on: Mon, 15 Mar 2021 06:10:18 +0000

• eFootball PES series return for the IESF’s 13th Esports World Championship (3/8/2021)

  IESF is pleased to announce that KONAMI’s eFootball PES series will return for its third year as an official game title for the 13th Esports World Championship, EILAT 2021 to be held in Eilat, Israel later this year.

  With its long history of international appeal, eFootball is a natural choice for international Esports competition. The game will be played on Playstation®4 during the IESF competition. IESF looks forward to continuing to engage the global PES community in making this game an exciting part of international Esports competitions into the future.

  The eFootball PES series tournaments were a centerpiece of the 11th and 12th Esports World Championship. IESF hopes to see the best player from all over the world and make their way to Eilat, Israel, to have their championship medal at this year’s event.

  Stay tuned for more game titles to be announced in the following days!

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5647
  Originally published on: Mon, 08 Mar 2021 06:21:46 +0000

• OCA Confirms AESF As Technical Delegate for Esports at 2022 Asian Games (3/4/2021)

  The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) have announced the introduction of ‘Road to Asian Games,’ the official qualifier program for esports at Asian Games, starting with the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. 

  This news comes with the reconfirmation that the AESF takes charge of all the matters of technical conduct for esports at Asian Games as the sole Technical Delegate. The AESF will also be responsible for selecting the esports event titles to be contested for the qualifiers and finals at Asian Games and make the final confirmation on the selected titles in collaboration with the OCA. 

  As the exclusive organizer of ‘Road to Asian Games,’ the official qualifier program and esports competition at Asian Games, the AESF will oversee the qualifying and final tournament structure for all esports events at Asian Games including the responsibility to identify the finalists for their respective esports event titles through regional qualifying competitions as part of the campaign. The campaign will begin in Hangzhou 2022, and with AESF to continue the organization of Esports through to Nagoya 2026, Doha 2030 and beyond. 

  With esports making its debut as an official medal sport at the 2022 Asian Games, this campaign will lay the foundation in bringing the Olympic Values and Movement to esports to Asia as well as the world. In addition, as part of the program, the AESF plans to include virtual and simulating event titles to the ‘Road to Asian Games’ and finals competition as a demonstration event, which will further encourage and expand the esports scope from traditional titles which are recognised as console, computer or mobile esports game events. 

  More than just an esports event, the ‘Road to Asian Games’ and finals at the 19th Asian Games shall exhibit the growth of esports from competitive gaming event to an official sport event.  Moreover, the ‘Road to Asian Games’ will play the important role to introduce a direct pathway that allows publishers to be part of Asian Games. This initiative will be the first of its kind to bring fair and equal opportunities to all publishers and advance esports developments not just for Asia, but worldwide.

  Furthermore, the ‘Road to Asian Games’ campaign will also include a focus on grassroots development, inclusion programs, career pathways, health and wellbeing support, as well as athlete’s rights and protection. As part of the Asian Games community outreach, the AESF will deliver and execute the ‘AESF Experience Program’ with full support from the OCA where AESF will aim to connect esports with athletes, fans, and local communities. This initiative will include a plan of an esports zone at the Asian Games Athletes Village, OCA House, and Fan Zones.

  To officialise the partnership for the ‘Road to Asian Games’ campaign and the confirmation on the roles and responsibilities of AESF, an official Signing Ceremony was held with the OCA Director-General Dr. Husain AHZ Al-Musallam, OCA Director of Sports Mr. Haider A H E Farman, AESF President Mr. Kenneth Fok, and AESF Director-General Mr. Sebastian Lau in attendance.

  Commenting on the partnership, Director General of OCA Dr. Husain AHZ Al-Musallam declared “It is a great pleasure to officially announce our partnership between OCA and AESF for the new esports program for our Asian Games and OCA will provide full support for successful esports events at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. We wish the best to our partner AESF on the journey ahead.”

  Echoing Dr Husain’s sentiments, AESF President Kenneth Fok added “I would like to express our sincere appreciation for the continuous support and trust from the OCA. I believe that the Asian Games presents the best stage for us to share Olympic Values with the esports community and we aim to make our esports communities develop further through this opportunity. Also, we look forward to a successful collaboration with OCA as well as LOC.”

  This collaboration not only marks another milestone in AESF’s continuous effort to drive esports forward, but also as testament to our constantly growing reach and network. The OCA has entrusted the AESF again with a major undertaking which would shape the world of esports for many years to come. The AESF welcomes this challenge and looks forward to delivering a momentous and unforgettable experience for everyone involved.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5642
  Originally published on: Thu, 04 Mar 2021 06:13:48 +0000

• DOTA 2, CSGO revealed as official titles for the 13th Esports World Championship (3/1/2021)

  IESF is pleased to announce that DOTA 2 will return for the IESF 13th Esports World Championship, Eilat, Israel and welcomes the newly featuring Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for IESF’s flagship international competition, which has taken place annually since 2009.

  DOTA 2, published by Valve, enjoys enormous global Esports popularity. The DOTA Pro Circuit, with Valve’s “The International” tournament, has seen crowdfunded prize pools in excess of $30 US million, making DOTA 2 one of the most lucrative games in Esports.

  Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) is a multiplayer first-person shooter genre developed by Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment. It is the fourth edition in the long-standing Counter-Strike series, one of the biggest Esports titles in the world for two decades.

  IESF looks forward to seeing the world’s best Esports athletes from IESF member nations in the competitions at this year’s 13th Esports World Championship, Eilat, Israel.

  Eilat was chosen as the host city of the IESF’s 13th Esports World Championship, following the cancellation of the global finals event in 2020. The format of the competition will be similar to last year’s as the World Championship’s Regional Games will be held online and the best players and teams will be participating in the offline Global Finals in Eilat, Israel.

  Stay tuned for more game titles to be announced in the following days!

  Follow IESF social channels for the future updates and news! >>

  Facebook LinkedIn Twitter YouTube Instagram

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5584
  Originally published on: Mon, 01 Mar 2021 11:00:00 +0000

• Olympic Council of Asia and AESF Introduces the ‘Road to Asian Games’ Campaign for 2022 Asian Games (3/1/2021)

  The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) has confirmed the introduction of the new program, ‘Road to Asian Games’ for the upcoming 2022 Asian Games. In addition, the OCA has confirmed again the appointment of the AESF as the only Technical Delegate who will take charge of all the matters of technical conduct for Esports events at the 2022 Asian Games.

  The AESF will be the exclusive organizer of ‘Road to Asian Games’, the official qualifier program and competition of esports to the Asian Games final. The AESF is the first Esports federation to introduce a direct pathway, ‘Road to Asian Games,’ whereby event titles selection and confirmation will be decided by AESF and allow publishers to be part of an Olympic event such as the Asian Games. The campaign will begin in Hangzhou 2022, and with AESF to continue the organization of Esports through to Nagoya 2026, Doha 2030 and beyond. This initiative will be the first of its kind to bring fair and equal opportunities to all publishers and advance esports developments not just to Asia, but worldwide.

  With Esports making its debut as a medal event at the Asian Games, the AESF ‘Road to Asian Games’ campaign will also extend beyond the competition scenes. This campaign will lay the foundation in bringing the Olympic Spirit to
  esports and introduce an education program for participating Esports athletes to share the Olympic Movement and Values not just in Asia, but globally. With plans for the promotion, sustainability and legacies underway, the emphasis will be on education and development in Esports. The key area of focus will be grassroots development, inclusion programs, career pathways, health and wellbeing support, as well as athlete’s rights and protection.

  The AESF is excited to accelerate the esports movement from competitive video gaming event into official sport event with the participation in the Continental Games. The AESF plans to include virtual and simulating sports to the ‘Road to Asian Games’ and finals competition as a demonstration event, which will further encourage and expand esports scope from traditional titles which are recognised as console, computer or mobile esports game events. This inclusion will also aim to encourage both sports and esports community to engage in physical activity and promote mental wellbeing.

  To officialise the partnership for the ‘Road to Asian Games’ campaign and the confirmation on the roles & responsibilities of AESF, an official Signing Ceremony was held with the OCA Director General Dr. Husain A H Z Al-Musallam, OCA Director of Sports Mr. Haider A H E Farman, AESF President Mr. Kenneth Fok, and AESF Director General Mr. Sebastian Lau in attendance. Announcing the partnership, Director General of OCA Dr. Husain AHZ Al-Musallam said “It is a great pleasure to officially announce our partnership between OCA and AESF for the new Esports program for our Asian Games and OCA will provide full support for successful Esports events at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. We wish the best to our partner AESF on the journey ahead,” he added.

  In line with this partnership, the OCA reconfirms that the AESF is the sole official governing body of esports in Asia and will be fully responsible for all technical aspect of esports competitions at Asian Games as well as any other OCA events.

  “I would like to express our sincere appreciation for the continuous support and trust from the OCA. I believe that the Asian Games presents the best stage for us to share Olympic Values with Esports community and we aim to make our Esports communities develop further through this opportunity. Also, we look forward to a successful collaboration with OCA as well as LOC.” said Mr. Fok in a speech during the signing.

  Disclosing AESF’s role and responsibility, OCA Director of Sports Mr. Haider A H E Farman added, “Leading up to the Asian Games, the Asian Electronic Sports Federation will have the leading role and take full responsibility in the selection of esports titles in collaboration with the OCA. From the qualifying rounds to the grand finals of each esports event, rest assured that the OCA and AESF, together with LOC will work hand-in-hand, ensuring successful esports events for the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022.”

  Mr. Sebastian Lau of AESF further conveyed his gratitude during the ceremony, “As the Asian Federation, the AESF is honoured to be organizing the esports qualifiers and the Technical Delegate for the upcoming Asian Games. We will start from Hangzhou, and I am looking forward to exploring more opportunities together with all of you and make the evolution of esports further in Nagoya 2026, Doha 2030 and beyond.”

  More than just an Esports event, the ‘Road to Asian Games’ and finals at the 19th Asian Games exhibits the growth of Esports from competitive gaming event to an official sport event and the AESF, with the full support of OCA and LOC, will assure the most competitive and extraordinary esports event to date.

  Road to Asian Games Partnership Summary

  Esports Event Title Selection
  AESF will select the esports event titles to be contested for the qualifiers and finals at the 2022 Asian Game and make the final confirmation on the selected titles in collaboration with the OCA.

  Eligibility and Participating Teams
  Leading up to the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, the AESF is responsible for identifying the finalists for their respective esports event titles through regional qualifiers as part of the ‘Road to Asian Games’ competition campaign which will lead to the Final at 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

  Qualifiers and Finals
  The AESF will form the qualifying and final tournament structure for all esports events and conduct the qualifiers for all participating Asian countries at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in collaboration with the OCA.

  Community Outreach Programs
  As part of the Asian Games community outreach, AESF will deliver and execute the AESF Experience Program with full support from the OCA. Aiming to connect with the esports community and fans alike, this program also aims to deliver the best Esports experience while also attracting new esports fans.

  

  

  • 

  • 

• Youngman Kim appointed as new IESF Vice President (2/23/2021)

  The International Esports Federation (IESF) Board had voted to approve Mr. Youngman Kim as the official Vice President of IESF.

  Mr. Youngman Kim, also serves as president of the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) and is one of its founders, will serve this role for a  two-year term, succeeding the outgoing Acting Vice President HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Sultan Al-Nahayan of the UAE.

  Mr. Kim was elected by IESF members during its 2019 General Assembly as a Board Member. He has been working closely with the Korean Government for the benefit of IESF members and multiple global Esports Programs.

  Before joining IESF, Youngman contributed decisively in establishing Esports as a new cultural content having StarCraft in Korea and led the explosive growth of Esports. While Korea was going through the IMF (International Monetary Fund) crisis, he left the company he worked at and established a game company, and went to great lengths to vitalize ‘StarCraft’ in Korea. With his tremendous effort, three (3) million copies of StarCraft were sold in Korea and industrial expansion worth 1.14 trillion KRW and job creation effects for more than 150,000 people were accomplished. Mr. Kim is still being introduced as the “Father of modern Esports” and “Esports Legend” on the international stage.

  Mr. Kim has actively participated in the development of the Esports industry by serving as President of Korea Software Property Right Council and Korea Association of Game Industry. He has been back leading KeSPA in 2018 to reconstruct the Association and to promote Esports in Korea. KeSPA is one of the leading Esports Association on the international stage, and a member of IESF and IOC ELG Group, and a partner of Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF).

  “This is an exceptional opportunity and I’m honored.” adds Mr. Youngman Kim . “I’m truly excited to continue to interact with our members and partners all over the world as well as Esports stakeholders, many of whom I have worked closely with on Esports over the past decade. I am looking forward to continuing these efforts as IESF Vice President.”

  IESF President, Vlad Marinescu , stated: “Youngman Kim did a wonderful job as Board Member of IESF and I am very happy to welcome him as our new Vice President with full consensus from IESF leadership. Together, we will continue to lead and promote Esports through our global programs, competitions and tournaments.”

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5574
  Originally published on: Tue, 23 Feb 2021 03:37:32 +0000

• KeSPA’s New Initiative with Korean Wave (2/19/2021)

  The first collaboration case of Esports and Korean wave is presented with “Support project of planning and developing of Korean wave-linked collaborative contents.”

  Participated in the “CAST”, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, organized by the Korea International Cultural Exchange Promotion Agency Introduced new products with 8 Esports related companies, which are utilized for Korean wave contents Planning to expand the Korean wave’s appearance, including gaming apparel, gaming gear, protection guards, education and cartoon contents.

  Through ‘Supporting project of planning and development of Korean wave-linked collaborative content (CAST)’, Esports created the first example of collaborating with South Korean companies, having Esports recognized as new K-wave content.

  Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) publicly announced how this meaningful project has been like on the 10th.

  ‘Supporting project of planning and development of Korean wave-linked collaborative contents (CAST)’ is a project hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea International Cultural Exchange Promotion Agency, and the Korea e-Sports Association participated in the game and Esports field with 8 companies from 5 industrial groups related to Esports.

  The project “CAST” (CAST: Connect, Company to make Synergy and Transformation) systematically supports Korean SMEs with potential in developing new content or product. In particular, the game and Esports sectors focus on spreading the dynamic image of K-wave culture.

  The participating companies include DRX, ROX Gaming, DSC, AIDER, Xenics, Icom Brand, BATTLICA, Gamtoon. By including esports players and Korean esports content into the company’s original business area, the companies produced new products such as gaming apparel, gaming gear, glasses, protectors, educational content, and e-books.

  Specifically, ▲All players from DRX worked with the team for the development of gaming apparel and mouse pads, ranging from designing to the fittings ▲ROX Gaming developed the joystick and various gaming products, working with Bae ‘Knee’ Jae-min, a legendary ‘Tekken’ player ▲DSC created two types of glasses with cooperation from Lee ‘DuDu’ Dong-joo and Oh ‘Vista’ Hyo-sung, professional LoL players of HLE ▲AIDER, with recently retired legendary professional LoL player Heo ‘Pawn’ Won-seok, developed three types wrists and waists supports.

  Click to play the video

  In addition, ▲Xencis created a never-existed gaming chair, with ideation and feedback from Hong ‘Pyosik’ Chang-hyun, a professional LoL player of DRX ▲Icom Brand developed a special gaming PC, working with Kang Do-kyung, a general manager of Team APE, and Kim Hee-chul, a K-wave Icon. ▲BATTLICA made esports educational materials with Jang ‘Dingception’ Kwang-myeon, Cho ‘Vino’ Han-kyung, Kim ‘hyMIN’ Min-kyu, Nho ‘Rothy’ Si-eun ▲Gamtoon created 3 types of cartoon e-book highlighting the stories of legendary esports players (Cho ‘Maru’ Seong-ju and Jang ‘Moon’ Jae-ho) and Korean esports history.

  Also, DRX, ROX Gaming, and Aider exhibited their products at the Korean Culture Promotion Center in November last year at the “3rd Jang Sam Gak international Culture Industry Fair” in Shanghai, China operated by the Korea International Cultural Exchange and Korean Cultural Center Shanghai. At the fair, esports was introduced as a new collaboration with various industries. During the exhibition period, more than 2,500 people visited the site and inquiries about products were received directly, so interest in the Korean wave culture in China was also confirmed.

  Click to play the video

  Moreover, the Asian esports Federation (AESF), the governing body of Asian esports communities, introduced this project to more than 40 member countries in the continent, as a good example of the expansion of the industry, with the support from the government.

  Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) stated, “’CAST’ project is meaningful because it is the first example of esports showing industrial potential as a collaborative content linked to the Korean wave. Starting with the project, we will continue to show synergy through esports and collaboration with various industries.”

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5479
  Originally published on: Fri, 19 Feb 2021 05:34:00 +0000

• IESF Athletes Committee leads the way for a better environment for Esports Athletes (2/10/2021)

  IESF is excited to introduce the IESF Athletes Committee.

  The Committee will be the voice of Esports Athletes (players) placing the protections of players’ interests as their top priority while ensuring IESF stays rooted and in touch with the interests of players with continuous cooperation.

  Tiffini Lim, Chairperson of IESF Athletes Committee , says “Today the term ‘Esports player’ already means something very different than it did a decade ago, yet we still have many prevalent systemic issues regarding player rights – organizers get away with unpaid prize monies, and players sign uneven contracts and get exploited unknowingly. As ex- and current competitive players we have encountered our fair share of issues, and thus we are able to share our experiences so our fellow players don’t have to run into the same walls as we did. We will do everything within our capacity to provide a safe avenue for players to seek help from.“

  The newly formed Committee is composed of diverse backgrounds, countries and regions covering different game titles. 

  Tiffani “Oling” Lim is a Malaysian Dota 2 player, community figure and an outspoken advocate for player rights. She’s also the pro tem President of her local Esports Players’ Association and the Head of Marketing & PR of the esports organization Battle Arena Malaysia. Pedro “barboza” Barbosa is a Portuguese eFootball PES player and a quality technician in the aeronautic industry in Portugal. He is also the coordinator of Athletes Commission in the Portuguese Esports Federation since 2020. Simona “Monny” Ivanovska is a psychologist and an esports enthusiast who specializes in FPS titles. She has also taken up the role of Development Coordinator in the Macedonian Esports Federation since 2020.  Freddy “Zubscop” Mazila represents Namibia and used to be the Tekken champion for 3 years running. He is now a graphic designer working on a future with graphic designing that can implement into his gaming experience some day.

  IESF’s Athletes Committee has been working for establishing and distributing a standard contract template for organizations and players’ reference, developing a series of workshop to educate players about their legal rights, protection and where to seek help, and helping to develop and shape a coaching license system, which is also a career option for retired professional players.

  IESF is looking forward to walking the path with the Committee for the betterment of Esports!

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5457
  Originally published on: Wed, 10 Feb 2021 01:35:00 +0000

• IESF reveals its 2021 global programs calendar! (2/8/2021)

  IESF has revealed the schedule of global events and programs for 2021 featuring five (5) significant program categories with multiple events throughout the year to unify and enhance the Global Esports ecosystem

  With IESF’s Esports World Championship, the annual Global Esports competition where national teams and players participate representing their nations, Regional Esports tournaments and the newly-launched World Super League will be presented globally.

  Alongside the competitive events, IESF’s annual professional conference, the Global Esports Executive Summit (GEES) will be hosted for the sixth time this year. GEES gathers key Esports stakeholders and creates an environment for discussion, education and action for global Esports development.

  To support the rapid development of global Esports, IESF will launch its international  R&D programs this year to strengthen the ecosystem and ensure sustainable growth.

  For more information on the IESF 2021 global programs and events Click Here .

  Follow IESF social channels to stay connected with IESF >> .

  Facebook LinkedIn Twitter YouTube Instagram

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5453
  Originally published on: Mon, 08 Feb 2021 03:11:49 +0000

• ESFI introduces national rankings for Esports (1/28/2021)

  Esports Federation of India (ESFI) in a bid to streamline the sport as well as bring in legitimacy among the gamers involved, released the first-ever national ranking system based on the open ranking tournaments played in the last two months to determine the best performing players. Team Resilience, Checkmate and Adbhut Esports have topped the individual categories in the national rankings.

  ESFI released national rankings for games- Call of Duty Mobile (Battle Royale), FreeFire and Valorant, which are some of the most popular video games and played by many. The performances of 60, 65 and 26 open matches conducted for Call of Duty Mobile, FreeFire and Valorant respectively during the period of November to December in 2020 were considered while announcing these rankings.

  “With esports being included as a medal event at the 2022 Asian Games among other major Championships, it is important that we follow all the necessary requirements like in any other medal sports to determine the best players of the country. In the month of November and December, we organised several scrims and there have been huge responses in these events. While the gamers (athletes) showcased great technique and competitive, each scrim was keenly contested before the champions were declared,” ESFI Director Lokesh Suji said.

  Seven-member Team Resilience pitted themselves very strongly with 682 points and were declared the top team in the Call of Duty (Mobile) category followed by Team Revolution (629) and Zelotz 2EZ (627) taking the second and third position respectively. Checkmate (111) and Adbhut Esports (78) became the winners in the Freefire and Valorant categories respectively.

  “Creating a pool of credible national gamers is a key responsibility that ESFI intends to shoulder in order to initiate and streamline a professional approach towards playing and organizing tournaments that are played in India. The athletes will help to maintain a certain standard of play, it will also regulate the esports ecosystem,” Suji further added.

  While Esports witnessed exponential rise in the pandemic which catapulted the urge to create a community closer and build a much bigger plethora of professional athletes in order to determine the future of Esports in India. ESFI will continue with the process of announcing national rankings for various games in the future as well.

  While, Free Fire Daily T1/T2/T3, Call of Duty Mobile Battle Royale scrims season 2 and multiplayer are already underway, Valorant will also begin from the last week of January with more games like PES, DOTA 2, FIFA , CR, COC and Brawl Stars to take place soon.

  Details of teams at top:

  Team Resilience (Call of Duty Mobile Battle Royale):

  Sushain ‘Dexter’ Gupta

  Mannat ‘Truman’ Khanna

   Naurav ‘Pollax’ Kumar

   Shaurya ‘Neta’

  Yash ‘Wizard’ Gupta

  Shivansh ‘Skullxyy’ Kalra and

  Ronit ‘Edith’ Kataria

  Team Checkmate (FreeFire)

  Arun ‘Deadend’ Yadav

  Ram ‘Scooper’ Devdas

  Nirmal ‘Unique-007’ Kumar

  Akshay ‘Syko’ Shiyani and

  Arshpreet ‘Arsh’

  Team Adbhut (Valorant)

  Hridya ‘RektyRowdyy’ Dham

  Kunal ‘IshocKK’ Khandelwal

  Bhavay ‘Fishy Bubbly’ Batra

  Prashant ‘FranK’ Das

  Mayank ‘Deadsec’ Roy

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5364
  Originally published on: Thu, 28 Jan 2021 01:25:02 +0000

• IESF EILAT 2020 World Championships Concludes After Online Competition (1/1/2021)

  The International Esports Federation (IESF) announces that the 12th Esports World Championship EILAT 2020 concludes following the results of the regional online games.

  The World Championship’s global final games, featuring competitions in DOTA 2, Tekken 7 and eFootball PES 2021, was scheduled to take place in Eilat, Israel this February. The regional preliminaries took place during October and November of this year in twelve different global regions.

  However, following the decision jointly taken by the IESF, Israeli Esports Association and Maccabi World Union, the World Championship concludes after the regional preliminaries.

  This decision was made due to IESF’s long-lasting commitment to the players’ health and safety, which could not be guaranteed at this time due to the COVID-19 situation globally.

  IESF, supported by the event’s local organizing committee, will distribute an increased prize pool of approximately $75,000 to winners of all regional tournaments. The amount of cash prize for each tournament will be distributed soon and shall be based on the size of each regional tournament.

  As was previously announced, the next IESF Esports World Championships will take place in Eilat City, Israel, in late 2021.

  “2020 is perhaps the most complex year in recent decades for hosting an international event,” said Ido Brosh, president of the Israeli Esports Association and Board Member of IESF. “Despite this, we managed to host a significant large-scale competition for the world’s players. This is a sign of the power and capabilities of IESF, Israel, and the Local Organizing Committee to produce large and significant activities despite the major challenges. We look forward to hosting the best players in the world in Eilat at the 2021 IESF World Championships.”

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5299
  Originally published on: Fri, 01 Jan 2021 15:03:52 +0000

• Ukrainian Esports Cup with a prize pool of UAH 250,000 (12/31/2020)

  The Ukrainian Esports Federation in partnership with Eldorado is pleased to announce a grandiose esports event – the Ukrainian CS:GO Cup! All details can be found in our announcement!

  Three months after the Ukrainian Esports Federation achieved the recognition of esports as an official sport in our country, UESF & Eldorado are announcing the first nationwide Ukrainian Cup. During the CS:GO season (held from January 18th, 2021, to March 28th, 2021) a total prize pool of UAH 250,000 will be drawn. The rules of the competition can be accessed through this link.

  The format of Ukrainian CS:GO Cup arbitrarily divides the country into five conferences: “Center”, “East”, “West”, “North” and “South”. Each such conference includes four to six regions of Ukraine.

  “West” Conference:

  Volyn region Rivne region Lviv region Zakarpattia region Ivano-Frankivsk region Ternopil region

  “North” Conference:

  Zhytomyr region Kyiv region Sumy region Chernihiv region

  “Center” Conference:

  Chernivtsi region Khmelnytskyi region Vinnytsia region Cherkasy region Kirovohrad region

  “East” Conference:

  Kharkiv region Luhansk region Donetsk region Dnipropetrovsk region Poltava region

  “South” Conference:

  Odessa region Mykolaiv region Kherson region Zaporizhzhya region Autonomous Republic of Crimea

  To take part in the Ukrainian Esports Cup, you must fill out one of our questionnaires:

  West North Center East South Players without a team

  It should be noted that in case you have a full five-player team, you’ll need to fill out one of the conference questionnaires (West, North, Center, East, South). Meanwhile, if you want to compete in the Ukrainian CS:GO Cup alone or with friends, but you are short of a full team, you will need to fill out the “Players without a team” form.

  Each conference will be hosting two divisions – Division A and Division B. All teams will be registered using the appropriate Google forms, where they will indicate information about their personal accounts, as well as a team profile on the FaceIT platform. The organizers will distribute teams according to their ELO points: the stronger teams will go to Division A, while the weaker ones will go to Division B.

  Championship system:

  Division B – round robin with bo1 match format Division A – round robin with bo1 match format Playoffs of Division B – round robin with bo1 match format, 2 groups Super League – round robin with bo2 match format Super League Playoffs – classic Olympic single-elimination system with bo3 match format

  In the first stage, regional qualifiers will be held under the modified regular season system. Each region will have its own Divisions A and B. The region’s best teams (in terms of total ELO points on the FaceIT platform ) will receive invitations to Division A. The regular season of Division A will consist of 66 matches, while the number of matches in Division B will depend on the number of teams registered.

  Division matches will be played in a round-robin system with a bo1 format. The top 2 teams from each Division A will receive slots in the Super League, therefore forming the top ten teams. Two more slots will be drawn among all the top 2 teams determined by the results of each Division B. Ultimately, 12 best teams from all over Ukraine will get into the Super League.

  The participants of Super League will receive a nice bonus from the Ukrainian Esports Federation. For each team, a logo will be developed, a uniform will be developed and sewn, a social media design will be developed, and, if possible, a photo session will be held.

  The Super League will be held according to the Round-Robin system with a bo2 match format. The top 6 teams based on the Super League’s results will advance to the finals of the Ukrainian CS:GO Cup – where they will continue fighting in a single-elimination system with a bo3 match format.

  Ukrainian CS:GO Cup prize pool distribution:

  1st place – UAH 100,000 2nd place – UAH 50,000 3-4 places – UAH 22,000 5-6 places – UAH 10,000 7-12 places – UAH 6,000

  The amount of winnings is indicated without taking into account the payment of taxes and mandatory payments, which are deducted from the indicated amount when they are paid. The payment is made within 90 calendar days. For income in the form of winnings and prizes, a single tax rate on personal income is set at 18% and a military duty rate is set at 1.5%, of the taxable item.

  As part of the Ukrainian CS:GO Cup, the Ukrainian Esports Federation, together with partners, will hold a huge number of draws with valuable prizes. For example, together with Parimatch and ExpertPC, we will give away two powerful gaming PCs.

  By the start of the Ukrainian CS:GO Cup, the Ukrainian Esports Federation will equip its own Ukrainian-language studio, which will work exclusively in Ukrainian not only for this tournament, but for the subsequent ones as well.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5295
  Originally published on: Thu, 31 Dec 2020 02:34:37 +0000

• Esports Announced As Medal Sport At 2022 Asian Games (12/19/2020)

  IESF is pleased to share that Esports is back to the Asia Games! IESF’s Asian Confederation, the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF), is proud to officially confirm the inclusion of esports in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China as an official medal sport. This development means all medals won under the esports category count directly into a country’s overall tally in the medal standings.

  Approved during the 39th OCA General Assembly, the decision is certainly great news for the esports scene, in particular, the Asian esports community. This outcome is a step forward in the right direction as the esports community have been striving hard for the past few years in not only bringing esports into the mainstream limelight, but also a step closer to the biggest stage of all, the Olympics. In attendance at the OCA General Assembly meeting is the President Mr. Kenneth Fok and Director General Mr. Sebastian Lau of AESF.

  This achievement is the result of several years of collective effort involving not only the AESF, but also the unyielding support from the Olympic Council of Asia, AESF member associations, local organizing committee and other collaborative partners. For that, we are forever grateful.

  Esports being featured in a multi-sports event isn’t new since making its debut in 2007 at the Asian Indoor Games. It was then followed by esports’ recent foray at the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan and the Asian Games in 2018. In 2019, at the Manila SEA Games made history as for the first time ever at SEA Games, esports was included as an official sport in a regional multi-sports event and the momentum carries on as in 2021 with esports again being part of the festivities at the 2021 AIMAG in Chonburi, Thailand and 2021 SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.

  Especially at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, esports athletes were accorded the same status and treatment as their traditional sports colleagues and this significantly changed the perspective of esports and boosted its image especially among non-enthusiasts.

  Conducted online due to the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 39th OCA General Assembly focused on the growing trend and influence of esports. AESF presented its Exclusive Esports Report and video presentation chronicling the development and progress that they have made throughout Asia so far. Also, AESF stressed the importance of the Asia continent as the core region to fully harness the potential and achieve common goals of the esports community in the world.

  In a video message, the OCA’s Asian Games Director, Mr. Haider Farman said: “It is a great pleasure and honour for me to bring you the good news that electronic sports has been included in the Hangzhou Asian Games 2022 sports programme. It will be a great honour for everybody to have you participating in these Asian Games as players, as officials and technical delegate members. I hope that electronic sports will add value to the Asian Games – and I am sure it will in the future, during the Asian Games 2022 and even beyond that. We are looking forward to cooperating with the Asian Electronic Sports Federation during the Asian Games and before.”

  Commenting on this historic move, the AESF President, Mr. Kenneth Fok said , “I am thrilled for this news and fully welcome it. This success story will be celebrated by AESF and all in the esports community together. Our past successes are rightfully commended but we always look forward to more achievements for our entire esports community. Seeing esports returning to the Asian Games in 2022 is a great landmark to achieve following years of hard work and commitment. The involvement of esports at the upcoming Asian Games elevates Esports to the next level by aligning itself with Olympic values of determination, inspiration, excellence, and solidarity. A special thank you to the OCA for entrusting us with this honour, and we promise to make the best out of this opportunity.”

  The addition of esports at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou not only represents the synergy between AESF and OCA in championing esports, but also OCA’s commitment in evolving and progressing with the disruptive times. The wholehearted thanks to OCA is offered again for the confidence and entrust upon us as the sole Asian esports federation for OCA games.

  Esports is closer to its rightful position in the competitive sporting scene and we look forward to a continuous and concentrated effort from everyone involved.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5280
  Originally published on: Sat, 19 Dec 2020 16:46:59 +0000

• IESF hits the 100 Nations Benchmark with more countries joining the membership base (12/11/2020)

  We are pleased to announce membership expansion within three (3) continents as Venezuela from America, Bahrain, Cambodia and Laos from Asia, as well as Estonia, Hungary and Wales join IESF from Europe.

  “Our family continues to grow globally and we reached almost a hundred (100) members worldwide,” says Mr. Boban Totovski, Director of Memberships. “A warm welcome and lots of good wishes on becoming part of our growing family on behalf of all the members. We promise to continuously cooperate and support our members for the betterment of Esports.”

  The nations are represented through their respective national Esports Associations:

  Bahrain : Bahrain mind and esports Federation Cambodia : Esports Federation Cambodia Estonia : Estonian Esports Federation Hungary : Hungarian Esports Federation Laos : Laos e-Sports federation Venezuela : Esports Federation Venezuela Wales : Esports Wales 

  IESF continues its mission to create a thriving Esports ecosystem globally where growth can be enhanced for both large Esports economies and grassroots-level nations. We are looking forward to working with all of our members for the development of Esports.

  IESF was founded in 2008 by nine-member nations from Europe and Asia. Now, after 12 years of history, we have reached 100 member nations and will continue this rapid expansion. IESF’s continued growth is largely thanks to the organization’s ability to deliver benefits to its members, provide continuous and sustainable World Championships events, and host its Global Esports Executive Summit.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5153
  Originally published on: Fri, 11 Dec 2020 15:08:19 +0000

• Polish breakthrough in esports performance research. esportsLAB’s studies available not only for pro players (12/9/2020)

  Professional esports, despite the growing number of various coaches and managers available for the athletes, is still mostly intuition-based. We see players and entire teams who perform well suddenly dip in form or vice versa, but we do not really know why. This is the main issue tackled by esportsLAB – Esports Association’s (Poland) partner, who developed a groundbreaking Esports Performance Model on an increasingly larger scale.

  esportsLAB is a research and technology company from Poland. Based on years of scientific experience and basic studies, they carry out the most extensive research project in the pro gaming world. Their main goal is to change esports from an intuition-based industry to a data-driven industry so that every esports organization can make more informed moves. Among the professional teams who participated in the research, there are top Polish organizations, including AGO and Izako Boars. 

  Thanks to the partnership with Esports Association, since March 2020, participation in the project has also been possible for students competing in Edu Esports – the association’s nationwide varsity league. The studies based on Esports Performance Model give comprehensive information on what should the students improve in order to become full-time professional players. The results also indicate how they can get better at certain skills in and out of the game environment and how well they fare in the pro scene. All the players are thoroughly tested, so the organizations which might take an interest in them will get valuable information, leading to more well-founded decisions.

  In the future, esportsLAB aims to develop an esports training methodology, which will work similarly to the traditional sports training methodology. This way, young players will be able to develop in the right way earlier, thus enabling them to know what they have to do to become the best version of themselves on a day-to-day basis. The future also features an original esports app, which for now is targeted at professional esports organizations, but there are plans to make it available to the individual players. With that, they will get feedback on their performance every day.Esports Association and esportsLAB’s cooperation facilitates carrying out the studies on a much bigger scale, leading to further improving the esports industry on a grassroots level. More information regarding the research project can be found on esportslab.gg .

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5147
  Originally published on: Wed, 09 Dec 2020 00:38:02 +0000

• MESA has officially announced the date of the first tournament of the 2020-2021 season (12/9/2020)

  The Mongolian Esports Association has officially announced the date of the first tournament of the 2020-2021 season, the MESA Pro Series: Dota2. The tournament aims to create new and exciting content for viewers by considering the advantage of esports, encouraging people to stay home during the new coronavirus COVID-19 infection around the world. In addition, we believe that it is an opportunity to accelerate the development of Dota2 in Mongolia and create new teams that can compete at the international level.

  A total of 128 teams will be registered for the first tournament, which will take place between the 14th to 17th of December with a prize pool of three million MNT. Due to the current situation, it was decided to hold the competition only online, and all athletes will be required to participate from home, and teams that are in lockdown at their training facilities will be required to participate from there.

  The association will hold three series of this tournament, and the best teams will qualify for the MESA League, the tournament with the highest prize pool in Mongolia, based on their scores earned from each series.

  Meanwhile, the CS: GO tournament details will be announced soon.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5144
  Originally published on: Wed, 09 Dec 2020 00:36:47 +0000

• Global Partnership Creates Esports Venue Design Standards (11/30/2020)

  The International Esports Federation and DLA+ Architecture & Interior Design are pleased to announce their strategic partnership and creation of Esports Venue Standardization Guidelines

  Busan, South Korea & Pittsburgh, PA – November 30, 2020 – The International Esports Federation (IESF) and DLA+ Architecture & Interior Design (DLA+) are pleased to announce their global partnership, combining IESF’s promotion of Esports and its global member network of national governing bodies with DLA+’s expertise of Esports venue planning and design. This partnership will establish the guidelines for the design of Esports venues and DLA+ will become an exclusive Certifying Agency for Esports facilities on behalf of IESF as well as an Official Advisor to IESF.

  All over the world, more and more governments and sporting authorities recognize Esports as a competitive sporting activity. Esports were featured at the 2018 Asian Games as a demonstration event and are being pursued for inclusion as a full medal event at the Asian Games and Olympic Games in near future. 

  The Esports Venue Standardization Guidelines will support this movement by defining spatial and technical requirements of Esports facilities and establish regulations and procedures for Esports venue certification. The focus is to satisfy the needs of fans, players, media, and operators, as well as identifying requirements to promote efficient, functional, and safe environments for Esports events. The certification and inspection processes will include qualifications, requirements, testing and evaluation methods, schedule, documentation, and fees based on each classification of the Esports facilities.

  “The DLA+ IESF partnership will explore the unique characteristics of Esports activities and environments, both technical and physical, and leverage those qualities to promote this fast-growing sport. As sports and entertainment venue design experts, we will establish standards which will offer an efficient process and clear guidance to create a positive experience for fans, players, media, and operators. Our goal is to ensure that all Esports venues provide the conditions necessary for high-quality competition, production, and presentation of Esports games and events, both in-venue and through various forms of media,” said Sung Jung, DLA+ Associate and Sports Practice Leader.

  “We at IESF are excited to provide our members with the Esports Venue Standardization Guidelines to aid them in their consideration and design of Esports facilities for fans and players. The guidelines will be a significant resource for our global members and will also help our efforts creating an international standardization in various disciplines alongside the stakeholders of the Esports ecosystem” said Vlad Marinescu, IESF President.

  The partnership and Esports Venue Standardization Guidelines come at an important time as global Esports revenue is expected to grow to roughly $1.2 Billion in 2021.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5121
  Originally published on: Mon, 30 Nov 2020 07:03:38 +0000

• GEES20’s Hybrid Online/Offline Format Achieves Excellence as IESF Adapts to COVID-19 (11/30/2020)

  The two-day Global Esports Executive Summit delivers big on the pressing issues in the Esports world in its 5th annual event.

  The two-day Global Esports Executive Summit delivers big on the pressing issues in the Esports world in its 5th annual event.

  GEES20 came to a close today in Busan, South Korea, after two days of engaging discussion with some big names in the Esports world. This year’s hybrid online/offline event offered a new set of challenges to IESF as the format adapted to the challenges posed by COVID-19. They say that “necessity is the mother of invention,” and many of the innovations put to use at GEES20 could remain valuable additions to future GEES and IESF events, as many presentations and speeches were given via pre-recorded message, and panelists participated in discussions from around the world via Zoom.

  Hosted at the brand new Busan Esports Arena, GEES20 had a great stage and all of the bright lights you would expect at a GEES conference, but there was minimal audience in the venue this year, and questions for the Q&A periods and panels were harvested from the IESF Youtube channel.  We can’t express enough gratitude to all of the viewers for making such a valuable contribution to GEES20. If you weren’t able to watch live, be sure to check out IESF’s Youtube channel for videos of the event in the coming days!

  There were four sessions at this 5th annual Global Esports Executive Summit, each with an impressive list of speakers and panelists. Take a look!

  Esports and Traditional Sports Convergence Philippe Gueisbuhler , General Director, Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) Byoungho Kang , Esports Manager, K LEAGUE Roy Hessing , CEO, Maccabiah, Maccabi World Union Lisa Ghil , Education Manager, Korea Anti-Doping Agency (KADA) Yong-Chul Yun , CEO, Prime Sports International (PSI) Samart Benjamin Assarasakorn , Chief Executive Secretary, Thailand Esports Federation (TESF)

  Diversity Marketing and Esports Keshia Walker, Founder & Chairwoman, Black Collegiate Gaming Association (BCGA) Nalain Naidoo, Head of Business Development, International Academy of Sport Science and Technology (AISTS) David Halegua , Experiential & Activations Manager, The Coca-Cola Company Mark “Garvey” Candella, Director of Student and Education Programs, Twitch Niles Heron, Chief Strategy Officer, Loaded Samy Ouerfelli, Head of New Business, Freaks 4U Gaming

  Esports in the Time of COVID-19 Ido Brosh, Board Member, Director of Events, International Esports Federation (IESF) Ralf Reichert, Co-CEO, ESL Gaming Remer Rietkerk, Head of Esports, Newzoo Serhat Bekdemir, Founder, Collegiate Esports League (CEL)

  New Frontiers in Esports Technology Kim Seongho, Vice President, LG Electronics Olcay Yilmazcoban, Co-founder & CEO, SenpAI.GG Sunghoon Jung, Sports Practice Leader, DLA+ Architecture & Interior Design Saad Khan, Founder & CEO, Gamershub Middle East

  IESF extends our sincerest gratitude to our esteemed delegates, and we look forward to working with you all again soon. We know that your contributions will inspire a better world for the future of Esports. We want to thank everyone who participated from the production team to our viewers online. GEES20 was awesome! We can’t wait to do it again next year!

  GEES

  Since 2015, GEES has gathered key Esports stakeholders from around the globe to create an environment for discussion, education, and action towards Esports development through conferences, exhibitions, academic lectures, and networking events.

  GEES20 is supported by the City of Busan and the Busan IT Promotion Agency.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5133
  Originally published on: Mon, 30 Nov 2020 16:01:24 +0000

• The First Day of GEES20 Brings the Esports World Together – Virtually! (11/29/2020)

  The Global Esports Executive Summit’s online/offline format ushers GEES into the future.

  The first day of GEES20 had a new flavor today as the event kicked off at the brand new Busan Esports Arena in Busan, South Korea. But it wasn’t just the new venue— this year’s hybrid online/offline event also offered a new set of challenges to IESF participants as the format was adapted to the restrictions and challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. An old proverb states that “necessity is the mother of invention,” and after the first day of GEES20, it became clear that many of today’s GEES20 innovations have the potential to remain valuable additions for the future of GEES and other IESF events.

  As in previous years, the venue was bright and full of activity as IESF staff and production team members rushed here and there. However, while domestic delegates like K-League’s Byoungho Kang and the Korean Anti-doping Agency’s Lisa Gihl were there in the venue, this year’s hybrid online/offline format meant that most presentations and speeches were given via pre-recorded message, and panelists participated in discussions from around the world via Zoom. The lessons learned today will be valuable into the future when VIPs wish to participate in GEES but are unable to attend in person.

  Questions for the Q&A periods and panels were harvested from the IESF Youtube channel , and while some of the questions were pretty tough, we are grateful to all of the viewers for making such a valuable contribution to GEES20. THANK YOU! Today’s sessions on “Esports and Traditional Esports Convergence” and “Diversity Marketing and Esports” provided meaningful discussion on two important esports issues.  If you missed it, be sure to check out IESF’s Youtube channel for videos of the event in the coming days!

  Tomorrow’s sessions are titled “Esports in the Time of COVID-19” and “New Frontiers in Esports Technology.” Tune in to IESF’s Youtube channel for live coverage and to participate by submitting your questions, which you can ask beforehand through the website of GEES20 or in real time on YouTube, to be delivered to our GEES20 speakers.

  There will be two special announcements at the beginning of GEES20 tomorrow, which will bring the Esports communities together for the betterment of Esports!

  Stay tuned and see you tomorrow!

  GEES

  Since 2015, GEES has gathered key esports stakeholders from around the globe to create an environment for discussion, education, and action towards esports development through conferences, exhibitions, academic lectures, and networking events.

  If you would like to hear more of GEES20, either live or as an online delegate, you can register for free here .

  GEES20 is supported by the City of Busan and the Busan IT Promotion Agency.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5125
  Originally published on: Sun, 29 Nov 2020 12:23:15 +0000

• GEES20 Ushers in a New Era for Esports and IESF! (11/28/2020)

  The 5th Global Esports Executive Summit gets underway in Busan and online worldwide!

  The day has finally come! GEES20 opens its doors tomorrow in Busan, South Korea and online around the world! This weekend’s (November 29th and 30th, 2020) 5th annual installment of IESF’s Global Esports Executive Summit aims to set a shining example for the COVID-19 era with its innovative online-offline format.

  As IESF faces the challenges posed by COVID-19 head on, plans have been made this year for delegates to participate and contribute both live at the venue, and online, including lectures and presentations that will be broadcast live on IESF’s Youtube . GEES20 is shaping up to be a truly unique and groundbreaking event.

  This year’s theme is Evolution and Expansion ! The agenda consists of four sessions, each covering a different topic, and including the participation of honored guests who will give keynote addresses and engage in panel discussions at the venue and online around the world. 

  The GEES20 Sessions:

  Nov. 29th

  Esports and Traditional Sports Convergence Identifying Opportunities for Collaboration Developing Opportunities for Collaboration Bringing Our Communities Together Diversity Marketing and Esports: Developing Future Brand Partners Marketing to Esports Diversity Expanding Market and Brand Partners

  Nov. 30th

  Esports in the Time of COVID-19 Recognizing Opportunities for Esports The Unique Position of Esports New Frontiers in Esports Technology Display Technologies in Esports Exploring New Esports Technology

  See the full list of speakers here !

  The Venue: The Busan Esports Arena

  The two-day event takes place at the Busan Esports Arena in Busan, South Korea, less than two weeks after the brand new, state-of-the-art facility’s official grand opening on November 18th.  Announced in March 2019 with investment from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the City of Busan, the Busan Esports Arena promises to be a boon for IESF events, and for Korean esports in general. It features a main arena, two sub-arenas and cutting edge facilities for players, staff, and fans.

  GEES

  Since 2015, GEES has gathered key esports stakeholders from around the globe to create an environment for discussion, education, and action towards esports development through conferences, exhibitions, academic lectures, and networking events.

  Register for fee at www.gees20.com for upcoming news!

  GEES20 is supported by the City of Busan and the Busan IT Promotion Agency.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5112
  Originally published on: Sat, 28 Nov 2020 06:33:38 +0000

• IESF Announces the Final Group of GEES20 Presenters! (11/24/2020)

  Another day closer to GEES20!

  A new chapter in IESF history with the 2020 edition of the Global Esports Executive Summit! Presenters for the sessions on Esports and Traditional Sports Convergence , Diversity Marketing and Esports , and Esports in the Time of COVID-19 for GEES20 have already been announced. Today IESF is pleased to announce the roster for the final session: New Frontiers in Esports Technology !

  Please join us in welcoming these important delegates to GEES20, where they will share their exciting visions of the future of Esports with the GEES20 delegation!

  Keynote Speakers:

  Kim Seongho, Vice President at LG Electronics

  Panel Discussion Participants: 

  Olcay Yilmazcoban, SenpAI.GG, Co-founder & CEO Sunghoon Jung, Sports Practice Leader, DLA+ Architecture & Interior Design Saad Khan, Gamershub Middle East, Founder & CEO

  The “New Frontiers in Esports Technology: Exploring Advances in Esports Science” session keynote will give the address titled “Display Technologies in Esports”  Panellists will participate online to discuss the rapid evolution of the Esports ecosystem, including such topics as advances in Esports industries, new Esports technologies, and developments in Esports science.

    GEES20

  GEES20 takes place at the Busan Esports Arena in Busan, South Korea on November 29th and 30th. As IESF attacks the challenges posed by COVID-19 head on, plans have been made to allow delegates to participate and contribute both live at the venue, and online, including lectures and presentations broadcast live on IESF’s channel. GEES20 is shaping up to be a truly unique and groundbreaking event. 

  Since 2015, GEES has gathered key esports stakeholders from around the globe to create an environment for discussion, education, and action towards esports development through conferences, exhibitions, academic lectures, and networking events. 

  If you would like to participate in GEES20, either live or as an online delegate, you can register for free at www.gees20.com 

  GEES20 is supported by the City of Busan and the Busan IT Promotion Agency.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5102
  Originally published on: Tue, 24 Nov 2020 07:03:13 +0000

• GEES20 Diversity Marketing and Esports Session Speakers Confirmed! (11/23/2020)

  Another day closer to GEES20! IESF’s Global Esports Executive Summit is ready for kick off November 29th and 30th and we continue to confirm an exciting roster of presenters and panellists for this year’s exciting hybrid format.

  Today, we are pleased to announce the esteemed presenters and panellists for the Diversity Marketing and Esports: Developing Future Brand Partners session. We can’t wait to welcome them to GEES20!

  Keynote Speakers:

  Keshia Walker, Founder & Chairman at Black Collegiate Gaming Association

  Panel Discussion Participants: 

  David Halegua , Experiential & Activations Manager at The Coca-Cola Company Mark “Garvey” Candella, Director of Student and Education Programs at Twitch Nalain Naidoo , Head of Business Development at the International Academy of Sport Science and Technology (AISTS) Samy Ouerfelli, Head of New Business at Freaks 4U Gaming

  The “Diversity Marketing in Esports: Developing Future Brand Partners” session will discuss a number of hot topics as the gaming community continues to expand in popularity among men and women of all ages and backgrounds. The session will include discussions about expanding markets and brand partners, identifying brand partners in evolving markets, and marketing to women, teenagers, and seniors. 

  GEES20

  GEES20 takes place at the Busan Esports Arena in Busan, South Korea on November 29th and 30th. As IESF attacks the challenges posed by COVID-19 head on, plans have been made to allow delegates to participate and contribute both live at the venue, and online, including lectures and presentations broadcast live on IESF’s Youtube and Facebook pages. GEES20 is shaping up to be a truly unique and groundbreaking event. 

  Since 2015, GEES has gathered key esports stakeholders from around the globe to create an environment for discussion, education, and action towards esports development through conferences, exhibitions, academic lectures, and networking events. 

  If you would like to participate in GEES20, either live or as an online delegate, you can register for free at www.GEES20.com . 

  GEES20 is supported by the City of Busan and the Busan IT Promotion Agency.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5100
  Originally published on: Mon, 23 Nov 2020 01:02:53 +0000

• GEES20 Adds to Its Growing List of Speakers (11/19/2020)

  Just two weeks before we hit PLAY in Busan, South Korea!

  As the countdown to GEES20 approaches the two-week mark, IESF continues to add to its impressive list of presenters.

  IESF is proud to announce the speakers for GEES20 on Esports and Traditional Sports Convergence.

  Keynote Speakers:

  Philippe Gueisbuhler , General Director of GAISF (Global Association of International Sports Federations) Byoungho Kang , Esports Manager for K League

  Panel Discussion:

  Byungho Kang , Esports Manager for professional football’s K-League Eunjoo (Lisa) Ghil , Manager of KADA (Korean Anti-doping Agency) Roy Hessing , CEO of Maccabi World Union Yong Chul Yun , Founder and CEO of PSI (Prime Sports International) Samart Benjamin Assarasakorn , Chief Executive Secretary of TESF (Thailand Esports Federation)

  The session on Esports and Traditional Sports Convergence will cover topics such as bringing the sports and esports communities together, building on common ground, and identifying and cultivating opportunities for collaboration and outreach.

  GEES20 takes place November 29th and 30th, and will be hosted at the Busan Esports Arena in Busan, South Korea. As IESF attacks the challenges posed by COVID-19 head on, plans have been made to allow delegates to participate and contribute both live at the venue, and online. GEES20 is shaping up to be a truly unique and groundbreaking event.

  Since 2015, GEES has gathered key esports stakeholders from around the globe to create an environment for discussion, education, and action towards esports development through conferences, exhibitions, academic lectures, and networking events.

  If you would like to participate in GEES20, either live or as an online delegate, you can register for free at www.GEES20.com

  GEES20 is supported by the City of Busan and the Busan IT Promotion Agency.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5089
  Originally published on: Thu, 19 Nov 2020 07:17:17 +0000

• IESF reaches 88 Members, with new nations from Asia, Africa and Europe (10/21/2020)

  We are thrilled to announce membership expansion within three (3) continents as Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Kuwait from Asia, Morocco and Congo from Africa, as well as Malta join IESF from Europe.

  Mr. Vlad Marinescu, IESF Acting President, stated, “IESF Member National Federations are the engine of Esports, we are happy and pleased that our family continues to grow and at the same time further unifies the Esports World . I would like to congratulate our new members and look forward to our work on solidifying the foundations of the Esports Universe. IESF continues operations and activities to support Members, protect Athletes, promote unity and foster positive exchange with traditional sport. We have now reached 88 members and I’m super excited as well as our board to see the next world championships.”

  The nations are represented through their respective national Esports Associations:

  Congo : Congolese Federation of Electronic Sports Kuwait : Kuwait Esports Club Malta : GamingMalta Morocco : Moroccan Esports Association Pakistan : Pakistan Electronic Sports Federation Turkmenistan : Turkmenistan National Electronic Sports Federation

  “Embarking on this journey with IESF reflects Malta’s position as the home of gaming excellence” said Ivan Filletti, COO at GamingMalta . He also celebrated this milestone by stating: “One of our main goals is to ensure continued education of Esports and this membership further boosts our initiatives. We also welcome the opportunity to collaborate with fellow global Esports partners towards the growth and development of Esports.”

  IESF was founded in 2008 by nine-member nations from Europe and Asia. Now, after 12 years of history, IESF is now over 80 member nations and has plans to continue this rapid expansion. IESF’s continued growth is largely thanks to the organization’s ability to deliver benefits to its members, provide a continuous and sustainable World Championships events, and host its Global Esports Executive Summit. IESF’s 12th Esports World Championship, Eilat 2020 is being held from Oct 20 – Nov 22, 2020.

  IESF continues its mission to create a thriving Esports ecosystem globally where growth can be enhanced for both large Esports economies and grassroots-level nations. IESF is looking forward to working with all of our members for the development of Esports!

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5043
  Originally published on: Wed, 21 Oct 2020 08:05:34 +0000

• IESF signs MOU with KADA to bring synergies on Anti-doping standard (10/7/2020)

  International Esports Federation (IESF) is pleased to announce the MOU signing with Korea Anti-Doping Agency (KADA).

  IESF and KADA will work together sharing resources with each other relating to the development of an effective anti-doping program in compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code to develop and improve the standards continuously.

  Under the agreement, both parties will cooperate for the fairness of Esports events taking place around the world and for anti-doping education and tests for Esports athletes.

  With this strategic movement, IESF can support Esports athletes globally also through its member nations for fair and clean Esports.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5004
  Originally published on: Wed, 07 Oct 2020 04:44:36 +0000

• Serbian National Championship (10/7/2020)

  Serbian e-sports Association is done when it comes to the IESF qualifiers for 2020. We have chosen representatives for this year, and the lineup is almost the same as last year, which once again proves that they are the best in Serbia.

  We started off with Tekken 7. Our best player, Vlada ‘’Coldheart’’ Stanković, who already represented Serbia multiple times once again proved his quality. Even though the competition was bigger than ever, when it came to the finals match, there was no way of stopping him.

  PES was even more exciting than last year. The best players gathered and fought until the end. Our best player, Stefan ’’Kepa’’ Slavković had a rough start, but as the finals progressed, his game improved and he managed to turn things around from the lower bracket. In the finals match, he managed to convincingly beat the second-best player in Serbia, Vladimir ’’Roksa’’ Roksić.

  In the end, the four best Dota 2 teams gathered to fight for one place that will give them an opportunity to represent their country. Both semifinal matches were very exciting, but Team Serbia brought a lot of experience, which gave them the final edge. Their drafting skills, combined with exciting team play gave them a big advantage that they knew how to hold until the very end. Their lineup is a bit different than last year, but they once again proved that they are the best in Serbia.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=5001
  Originally published on: Wed, 07 Oct 2020 02:58:36 +0000

• IESF launches Regional Qualifiers for the 12th Esports World Championship (10/2/2020)

  The International Esports Federation (IESF) has announced the dates for its upcoming Regional Tournaments of 12th Esports World Championship, Eilat 2020.

  Following the previous World Championships, the Regional Tournaments of the World Championship will be held online from October 20th – November 20th, 2020. Finalists from each region and title will be patched to the Finals offline in Eilat, Israel.

  The tournaments will be streamed live on IESF’s official channels. The time of the matches will be shared soon via IESF’s social media channels and the World Championship Website.

  “We are happy to announce the regional stages of the 12th Esports World Championship ahead of the final global games in Eilat, Israel,” says Ido Brosh, Head of the Local Organizing Committee, in a statement. “We are excitedly looking forward to the next announcement of the final games in Eilat, and wish good luck to all the participants.”

  IESF’s Esports World Championship is the IESF’s flagship competition, where all the players from all over the world participate in a unique and vibrant tournament while representing their national flag. The event is the only major Esports tournament featuring national teams, and this year’s competition is expected to be the largest one to date, with approximately 60 nations set to participate.

  This year’s event hosts are the Israeli Esports Association and Maccabi World Union, which partnered with IESF and the City of Eilat to host what is becoming the largest IESF event.

  For more information regarding the 12th Esports World Championship, follow the IESF Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

  Official World Championship Website >>

  Tournament Schedule

  DOTA 2

  Regional Dates Global Final Slots Europe 21-22 November 2020 3 South Asia 19 November 2020 1 Southeast Asia 9-10 November 2020 1 East Asia 11-12 November 2020 1 CIS 14-18 November 2020 1 South America 23 October 2020 1 North & Central America 21 October 2020 1 Southern Africa 26 October 2020 1

  eFootball PES

  Regional Dates Global Final Slots Europe 07 November 2020 7 South Asia 28 October 2020 1 Southeast Asia 27 October 2020 1 East Asia 29 October 2020 2 MENA & Cent. Asia 02 November 2020 1 South America 31 October 2020 1 North America 22 October 2020 1 Central America 20 November 2020 1 Southern Africa 25 October 2020 1

  Tekken

  Regional Dates Global Final Slots Europe 30 October 2020 6 South Asia 06 November 2020 1 Southeast Asia 04 November 2020 1 East Asia 05 November 2020 2 MENA & Cent. Asia 03 November 2020 1 South America 01 November 2020 1 North America 20 October 2020 1 Central America 08 November 2020 2 Southern Africa 25 October 2020 1

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=4989
  Originally published on: Fri, 02 Oct 2020 11:11:02 +0000

• IESF announces marketing partnership with MEI (9/29/2020)

  IESF has announced a marketing partnership with Major Events International (MEI) to help find marketing and sponsorship partners for their Global Esports Executive Summit (GEES).

  The Global Esports Executive Summit (GEES) event is scheduled to be a hybrid event with a limited number of key decision makers attending the event in Busan, South Korea in November 2020. Following COVID travel restrictions globally, this will be a hybrid event to allow international delegates to participate online while presentations and discussion will occur in the new Busan Esports Stadium. IESF is attempting to use this hybrid GEES event as a model to the sporting world for the future in how to adapt to the ever changing COVID pandemic.

  MEI, which specialises in providing an interface between major event organisers and the suppliers that make events safe, efficient and amazing fan experience have struck a deal to help take the remarkable growth of the stakeholder-rich GEES event to the next level.

  “We are very excited to partner with MEI to find the best possible marketing and sponsorship partners for our 5th Global Esports Executive Summit 2020” announced the IESF President, Vlad Marinescu , “MEI will support GEES revenues, allowing us to provide the Esports market with a forum to discuss the challenges and opportunities which face this fast-moving and innovative branch of sports events”.

  “This is a perfect fit for both parties” commented MEI COO Andy Rice , “We are delighted to be working with the IESF to enhance their revenues and VIK support. Organizations like the IESF are looking for technological innovation and sustainable solutions that will mitigate risk, minimise cost and maximise stakeholder engagement- and therefore revenues. Our new partnership with IESF will undoubtedly provide new, and exciting solutions, and revenues for them”

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=4981
  Originally published on: Tue, 29 Sep 2020 09:00:30 +0000

• Official Announcement on JeSU’ s JAPAN eSPORTS GRAND PRIX (9/21/2020)

  “Japan national representative selection + 5 ,000,000JPY Cash Pool”

  JeSU ( Japan eSports Union) will hold a 4 day major online eSports event Japan eSports Grand Prix which will take place from 24th Sep to 27th Sep.

  The main purpose of this event is to uplift the eSports scene in Japan and to select the national representative that can compete at the global level. The national representative will be selected from 3 game titles (PES 2021, Clash Royale and PUBG) to compete in the “Esports Championship East Asia” which will be held in Korea. As with Street Fighter V, this tournament will be the first-ever tournament only open for players with a Japan eSports license to determine the No. 1 player in Japan. The national representative will be selected for the upcoming international tournament which will be announced later. For the 4 titles, a total sum of 5,000,000 JPY will be set as the total prize pool.

  Due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, Japan eSports Grand Prix will leverage the characteristics of eSports as entertainment content which can be enjoyed online and will propose a new experiential value in watching eSports. The event will be completely online, utilizing the cutting edge technology of the photorealistic virtual studio solution,「 Zero Density」 as well as AI live translation in 3 different languages, (English, Chinese, Korean ) to stream throughout the world.

  This event will be co-sponsored by one of Japan’s biggest eSports event, “ Tokyo Game Show 2020 ONLINE” and will also be shown on a special online venue inside Amazon.co.jp within the Tokyo Game Show 2020 ONLINE page. (Only Japanese)

  For further information, please visit the website of JeSU .

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=4970
  Originally published on: Mon, 21 Sep 2020 00:38:18 +0000

• 8 New Member Nations join IESF (9/9/2020)

  IESF reaches 82 Members, with new nations from the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe

  We are thrilled to announce membership expansion within four (4) continents as Chile and Ecuador join from the Americas, Jordan from Asia, Libya and Mauritania from Africa, as well as Luxembourg, Monaco and Slovenia join the IESF from Europe.

  Many potential members are applying to IESF, strengthening the “unity mission that we have started”, says Mr. Boban Totovski, IESF Board Member and Secretariat Director. 

  The nations are represented through their respective national Esports Associations:

  Chile : Street Soccer Organization Ecuador : Ecuadorian eSports Association Jordan : Jordan Esports Federation Libya : Libyan Esports Federation  Luxembourg : Luxembourg Esports Federation Mauritania : Federation Esports Mauritania Monaco : Monaco eSports Federation Slovenia : E-sports Federation of Slovenia

  IESF was founded in 2008 by nine-member nations from Europe and Asia. Now, after 12 years of history, IESF is now over 80 member nations and has plans to continue this rapid expansion. IESF’s continued growth is largely thanks to the organization’s ability to deliver benefits to its members, provide a continuous and sustainable World Championships events, and host its Global Esports Executive Summit.

  IESF continues its mission to create a thriving Esports ecosystem globally where growth can be enhanced for both large Esports economies and grassroot-level nations. IESF is looking forward to working with all of our members for the development of Esports!

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=4928
  Originally published on: Wed, 09 Sep 2020 09:11:24 +0000

• IESF Announces Regional Distribution for the 12th Esports World Championship 2020 (9/1/2020)

  Regional competitions will begin in October for DOTA 2, eFootball PES series, and Tekken 7

  Esports athletes from over 55 nations are set to begin their quests for gold at the 12th IESF Esports World Championship, Eilat 2020, as the regional DOTA2, eFootball series and Tekken 7 tournaments begin on October 20th to November 20th.

  Participating nations have been divided into 10 regional tournaments which will narrow the field to 16 players (PES/Tekken) and 10 teams (DOTA) for the Global Finals.

  Europe Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Czech Rep., Finland, Georgia, Israel, Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine Central Asia Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan Southern Asia India, Nepal, Sri Lanka South East Asia Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam East Asia Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Mongolia South America Argentina, Brazil, Peru North & Central America Guatemala, Mexico, USA, Colombia, Panama MENA Iran, UAE Southern Africa South Africa, Namibia

  West Europe Austria, Belgium, Czech Rep., Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, San Marino Nordic & East Europe Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia, Finland, Georgia, Israel, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine North America Guatemala, USA, Mexico South America Argentina, Brazil, Peru Central America Colombia, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Panama South East Asia Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam East Asia Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Mongolia Southern Asia India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka MENA & Central Asia Iran, UAE, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan Southern Africa South Africa, Namibia

  West Europe Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino Nordic & East Europe Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Finland, Georgia, Israel, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine North America Guatemala, USA, Mexico South America Argentina, Brazil, Peru Central America Bahamas, Dominican Rep., Colombia, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Panama South East Asia Brunei, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam East Asia Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Mongolia Southern Asia India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka MENA & Central Asia Iran, UAE, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan Southern Africa South Africa, Namibia

  IESF’s Esports World Championship has been IESF’s flagship tournament since 2009. To find how you can get involved with your national federation, please visit us at www.iesfwc.com

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=4880
  Originally published on: Tue, 01 Sep 2020 09:14:25 +0000

• “Audition” Joins Esports World Championship as Promoted Title (8/30/2020)

  HanbitSoft’s popular rhythm dance game joins the IESF World Championship

  “Audition” was developed back in 2004 by Korea’s T3 Entertainment, and it’s been a popular music and dancing rhythm game for the past 16 years.

  Starting with its first launch in Korea, it was launched in 2005 in China, Japan, and gradually in Asia, including Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand, as well as North America and Europe. In addition, with the adoption of the World Championship promotion event, Audition of Hanbitsoft once again set the stage for its leap into a global game.

  Audition is the only games developed (produced) in Korea among IEsf events, and they use their own K-pop as well as the latest K-pop, leading the K-pop trend worldwide. It also contains fashion items of the latest trends as well as traditional costumes from around the world, making it a perfect game for players from all over the world to play with “K-POP, Dance, Fashion, and Community.”

  Audition players simulate dancing using the keyboard to control avatars that dance with or against other players. The game is played by pressing the arrows displayed on the screen as well as the spacebar or control key on every 4th beat of the song. The more accurately the spacebar or control key is pressed, the higher the score. That’s the dynamic point of winning or losing in just 0.1 second, and this part of the game promises to be a fun and interesting addition to the world championships, as an Esports event more than any other game.

  As a promoted title, competitors in the Audition tournament will compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals.

  IESF announced eFootball PES series, Tekken 7 and DOTA2 as the official titles for this year’s event. IESF is looking forward to seeing all the world’s best national teams represent their countries in all titles at IESF’s 12th Esports World Championship in Eilat, Israel.

  For more information about IESF, or about the IESF 12th  Esports World Championship, Eilat 2020, please visit us at www.iesfwc.com

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=4875
  Originally published on: Sun, 30 Aug 2020 11:37:21 +0000

• IESF Unveils it’s New Modern Logo (8/20/2020)

  The new logo represents our elevated commitment to the future of Esports

  A big announcement coming today from IESF. IESF is proud to present a new and updated logo in officially replacing the logo as we move our ever growing organization into the future. This is the first time since its foundation in 2008 that IESF has made changes to its logo.

  The new logo keeps the spirit of the organization, while representing a refreshing and modern outlook forward. 

  Mr. Vlad Marinescu, President of IESF, stated “Sharp, modern and passionate! We are super excited to represent our new logo with the world. The overall effect of the redesign is also a transition from a classic feel to an energetic, forward-moving and fresh look. Our new logo symbolizes our dedication and commitment to the betterment of Esports.”

  IESF was founded in 2008 by nine-member nations from Europe and Asia. Since then, IESF has worked with its partners toward steady growth and outreach so that it now has over 70 member nations. IESF is the largest unifying body for Esports worldwide and has a significant impact on Esports unity and governance.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=4840
  Originally published on: Thu, 20 Aug 2020 05:16:32 +0000

• PORTUGUESE ESPORTS FEDERATION PARTNERS WITH ESIC (8/13/2020)

  The Portuguese Esports Federation has become a member of the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC). This agreement will guarantee the compliance of the Portuguese Esports Federation with ESIC’s Code of Ethics, as well as of all future competitions to be organized or licensed by the Portuguese Esports Federation with ESIC’s Anti-Corruption Code, Player Code of Conduct and Anti-Doping Code.

  Tiago Fernandes, the Portuguese Esports Federation’s President , said that “This is yet another step that we are doing in order to fulfil our mission of developing the Portuguese Esports Ecosystem, in accordance with a proper sports spirit, educational and cultural values and principles of active citizenship.” Tiago Fernandes added that, as the Portuguese Esports Federation is establishing a National Competitive Esports Calendar, in a multitude of different game titles, “this allows our country’s players, coaches, referees and clubs to be assured that they will be participating in competitions that are fair and transparent and where integrity and loyalty are omnipresent, as well as true sportsmanship. This will also reassure the confidence of our commercial partners in investing in said competitions.”

  Ian Smith, Commissioner of ESIC, said, “It is such a pleasure to welcome the PESF into ESIC Membership. Their commitment to the development of a vibrant grass roots scene in Portugal with integrity at the heart of it is very encouraging. We look forward to working with the team to embed our Codes into their rules and regulations and supporting them with their education initiatives to ensure the next generation has all the tools it needs to succeed fairly and with sportsmanship.”

  About the Portuguese Esports Federation

  The Portuguese Esports Federation (PESF) or Federação Portuguesa de Desportos Eletrónicos (FPDE) in Portuguese was created in 2016 and aims to be the governing body of Esports in Portugal. Member of the International Esports Federation (IESF) and of the European Esports Federation (EEF), its mission is to educate the population about what Esports is and to promote its practice in a healthy way, to ensure the development of the ecosystem, to support all athletes and represent and support clubs at national and international levels. For more information visit FPDE website at: www.fpde.pt .

  About the Esports Integrity Commission

  The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) was established in 2016 to take responsibility for disruption, prevention, investigation and prosecution of all forms of cheating in esports, including, but not limited to, match manipulation and doping.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=4821
  Originally published on: Thu, 13 Aug 2020 07:17:22 +0000

• IESF Grows to 71 Member Nations (8/7/2020)

  More National Federations (NFs) in the Americas, Asia, and Europe join IESF’s membership base.

  IESF is thrilled to introduce new member nations. Today, Argentina and Guatemala join from the Americas, Uzbekistan from Asia, and Norway and Ireland join the IESF fold from Europe.

  Argentina : Asociación de Deportes Electronicos y Videojuegos de Argentina Guatemala :  Asociación de Mini Football y Footgolf de Guatemala – ASOFUM Ireland : Esports and Gaming Federation of Ireland (T/A Ireland Esports) Norway : Norwegian Esport Federation Uzbekistan : UZBEKISTAN ESPORTS FEDERATION

  IESF was founded in 2008 by nine member nations from Europe and Asia. Since then, IESF has worked with its partners toward steady growth and outreach. IESF is the largest unifying body for Esports worldwide and has a significant impact on Esports unity and governance. 

  Now, after 12 years of history, IESF is now over 70 member nations and has plans to continue this rapid expansion. IESF’s continued growth is largely thanks to the organization’s ability to deliver benefits to its members, provide a continuous and sustainable World Championships events, and host its Global Esports Executive Summit.

  IESF is looking forward to working with all of our members for the betterment of Esports!

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=4797
  Originally published on: Fri, 07 Aug 2020 05:41:12 +0000

• PARTNERSHIP Signed between UAE GOVERNMENT AND IESF (7/14/2020)

  The International Esports Federation (IESF) and the UAE Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence announce a joint collaboration to raise the debate and to promote tolerance and coexistence within Esports.

  Vlad Marinescu, President of IESF and His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan, Minister for Tolerance and Coexistence signed an MOU on the 14th of July, 2020, formally establishing the relationship between the IESF and UAE government.

  Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, presided over the signing ceremony of the MOU in the Ministry’s Offices in Abu Dhabi, while President Marinescu signed the document remotely in IESF Budapest Office. HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Shakhbout Al Nahayan, Vice President of IESF, in his capacity as President of Emirates Esports, and IESF Board members and representatives of member national federations of IESF attended as witnesses to the proceedings

  TOLERANCE IN ESPORTS COMMISSION LAUNCHED

  IESF and the Ministry agreed to collaborate on a number of initiatives, including the formation of an IESF Global Commission of Tolerance and Coexistence in Esports. Sports is very much a unique and powerful vehicle, its reach and breadth enable to bring people together who differ with regard to their nationality, ethnic origins, cultural and political beliefs, into a universal community of common values. Esports and gaming are no different and due to its connectivity has the potential to an even greater impact to promote positive values. The establishment of The Commission will engage in key debates with its mission for promoting peace, tolerance, harmonious coexistence and stronger ties between communities.

  On this momentous occasion, His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence said, “It is my hope that by working together, the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence and the IESF will create an online culture that recognizes that while we may be connected virtually, we are interacting with fellow human beings. Tolerance and coexistence are the foundations for a peaceful and productive world. A world where diversity is respected, where we embrace our common humanity, where we recognize our interdependence and take action to help others.”

  Vlad Marinescu, President of IESF , said, “IESF has always worked hard to promote the true spirit of Esports beyond race, gender, religion and cultural barriers. We have a very diverse community with a growing membership of over 70 nations. We are deeply privileged to establish a strong partnership with the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence under the wise leadership of His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan, together, I have no doubt this collaboration will accomplish its ambitious mission.

  The IESF Global Commission of Tolerance and Coexistence in Esports will develop a working group that will engage with all stakeholders, athletes, gamers, teams, publishers, parents, schools and governing federations, as part of its consultative process on the many issues and develop a key strategy that will promote the message of tolerance. I wish to emphasize that this is for all the community to be engaged with and not just our existing membership. Please join us as we strive to bring peace and harmony that celebrate our differences. We are all one family and united in Esports.”

  The Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence in the United Arab Emirates recognizes and embraces diversity in all of its forms and draws on its inspiration from the core values stemming from coexistence and harmony, expressing this all-inclusive ethos, in a variety of engaging ways in all segments and sectors of society. It fosters respect and empathy, where differences are met with dialogue, teamwork and understanding and diversity is met with knowing the other and respecting the other’s beliefs and differences. It advocates healthy competition to encourage an environment of positive sportsmanship and acknowledgement, where defeats are regarded as learning platforms for improvement in the keys for tolerance and coexistence, and victories are regarded as avenues for enabling inspiration, humility, leadership and growth.

  International Esports Federation (IESF) is a non-profit organization founded in 2008 that consistently works to promote esports as a true sport beyond barriers. IESF is composed of more than 70 members across all continents, organizes annual World Championships and strives to ensure the synergy between stakeholders.

  IESF is a WADA Signatory since 2013 is also recognized as the International Federation by the Olympic Council of Asia.

  Its annual conference is normally held over a number of days encourages thought leadership on key topics along with the recent addition of an academic summit involving submissions in key areas of research.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=4687
  Originally published on: Tue, 14 Jul 2020 08:16:21 +0000

• IESF ANNOUNCES EXPANDED FORMAT FOR THE 2020 ESPORTS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (7/3/2020)

  

  The International Esports Federation (IESF), along with the Israeli Esports Association (IESA) and Maccabi World Union, is excited to announce new plans for the 12th IESF Esports World Championship!

  The challenges posed by COVID-19 continue to be substantial. Humanity has had to adapt in one way or another, often making sacrifices to ensure the continued safety and health of our communities.

  IESF believes with enthusiasm that international Esports competitions are able to lead the way as the only sport able to host competitions even during these new times facing these new challenges.

  IESF is excited to announce the following expansions to the Esports World Championship format for 2020:

  • Beginning in July and running through September, IESF National Members will host their national team selection process, to determine the identity of the players representing them in the IESF World Championship.
  • In October running through November, IESF and the World ChampionshipLocal Organizing Committee (LOC) will host a regional competition online to narrow the international field to a select group of each region’s best. The IESF 2020 World Championship Global Finals in Eilat, Israel, is scheduled to take place in December. The world’s best players will compete on a live stage to determine the 2020 World Champions.

  “We are super excited to host this year’s world championship finals in Israel,” says Ido Brosh, President of the World Championship Local Organizing Committee, “In light of the circumstances, I believe that our new plan will present the triumph of Esports and human spirit even in hard times where we are physically restricted.”

  While the Final Stage in Israel is scheduled for December, IESF and the Local Organizing Committee will keep track of international and local restrictions and may change the dates to ensure the safety and health of all participants.

  As was previously announced, the IESF 12th Esports World Championship in Israel will feature Tekken 7, eFootball PES series and DOTA 2 as official titles. More competitions may be added.

  For more information, follow IESF social media and visit the World Championship official website at https://iesfwc.com

• AESF’s latest partnership to recognise and boost Coventry University’s expertise in Esports management (7/3/2020)

  The Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) is proud to announce its strategic partnership with Coventry University which aims to enhance the institution’s expertise in a growing area of sports management.

  

  The partnership will further research collaboration and provide students enrolled on Coventry University’s Sport Management and other relevant courses with opportunities in a dynamic new industry.

  The AESF and Coventry University will also be looking to create more student experiences, including potential internship programmes and the production of case studies on Esports. Last but not least, the meeting between both parties discussed more opportunities for course development, which includes introductory sessions on Esports and support in the development of course topics for the curriculum.

  The main areas covered by the partnership are:

  • Key speakers from the esports industry will be invited to the Coventry-AESF Webinar series, with the first taking place in July, led by Sebastian Lau, AESF Director General.
  • Research collaboration, with industry and academia collaborating on a variety of areas of interest, such as governance, gambling, and social responsibility in esports. 
  • Enhancing student experience, with Coventry Business School students accessing field trips to AESF events, work experience opportunities with AESF, and Collaborative Online International Learning with AESF and its members.
  • Future course development, where Coventry Business School can use the expertise of AESF to embed esports more fully into our sport management courses, helping attract students from across the world interested in this rapidly growing area of sport, while AESF can work with Coventry Business School academics to develop sports management CPD courses for its member federations.

  Commenting on this milestone; 

  Sebastian Lau, AESF Director General, said: “Coventry University’s expertise in sports management and business studies will help further support our member associations, players, and officials in developing content around the education of esports. This collaboration not only signifies AESF’s continuous effort in supporting this industry, but it also reflects Coventry University’s dedication and commitment to adapting and keeping up with the times.”

  Mr Lau, who is also a Coventry University alumnus, has been invited to join the School of Marketing and Management (SMM) Business Advisory Group within the university’s Faculty of Business and Law. The group advises the school in terms of course design, up-to-date industry knowledge and helps it to maintain industry connections.

  Dr Simon Gérard, Course Director, MSc Sport Management, Coventry University, said: “We are proud to lay down the foundation of a long-lasting partnership with the AESF, that offers tremendous opportunities in terms of students’ experience. This agreement will also foster the development of impactful, multi-disciplinary research on this fast-changing and growing sector.”

  Dr David Pilsbury, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International Development) said: “We are delighted to have reached this key milestone in developing this crucial partnership for the university. We understand the importance of esports globally and in Asia particularly and are delighted at the opportunity to work with the AESF to support the athletes, players, officials and associations who make up this vibrant community as it continues its rapid growth and innovation.”

  Kenneth Fok, AESF President, said: “I would like to celebrate this close relationship we are forming with Coventry University, one of the UK’s most esteemed educational institutions. Not only does it benefit the AESF and our member associations, but it also opens the doors to many more potential partnerships from academia going forward. This will not only be beneficial to our athletes but also various stakeholders in this industry. We look forward to supporting our esports community as well as future talents for their growth and further development in collaboration with Coventry University.”

  Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) is the sole governing body of Esports in the Asian region which is recognized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). Following the tremendous growth of Esports over the years – with Esports becoming an official medal event at the 2007, 2009 Asian Indoor Games and the 2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, along with the recent implementation of Esports as a demonstration game at the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, the AESF also successfully staged Esports at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and the 2019 Southeast Games in Manila. The momentum continues as Esports will feature at the 2021 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Thailand as an official medal event. Following the launch of the planned ‘AESF e-Masters’ series the AESF will soon introduce two more circuits; the ‘AESF University Championship’ and ‘AESF Amateur League’ to cater for the Esports community in Asia.

  For more information on the AESF, you can visit www.aesf.com or contact the respective media office at secretariat@aesf.com.

• International Esports Federation and International Schools Sports Federation Unite (6/16/2020)

  Mens Sana Incorpore Sano! The Olympic games were a mere 700 years old when poet Juvenal scribed in Latin what famously translates to  “A healthy mind in a healthy body”.

  It is within the spirit of this philosophy that both International Esports Federation (IESF) and International School Sports Federation (ISF) embarked on a landmark agreement.

  IESF President Vlad Marinescu, together with International School Sport Federation President Laurent Petrynka signed a memorandum of understanding between both parties.

  IESF and ISF will work together combining their knowledge, competencies and efforts in order to undertake various projects and activities developing Esports activity and events and promoting physical health among gamers in high schools.

  President Vlad Marinescu the new president of IESF said: “We strongly believe that this collaboration between IESF and ISF will achieve positive results for the benefit of youth in terms of entertainment, competition and health. We hope that the achievements we reach together will be a good example not only for the youth but to all the gamers around the world. Our organizations have a rich history and a similar objective – to motivate youth to take part also in physical sport while having fun. This collaboration will be reinforced, also at the national level, providing a platform and unity in managing programs that reinforce responsible gaming, motivating youth to move and be healthy.”

  President Laurent Petrynka, who was recently reappointed by IOC President Thomas Bach, as a member of the Olympic Education Commission, stated ”The MoU and the International Esports Federation (IESF) follow the vision of promoting physical activity and education among the eSports youth, incorporating exercise, running, and fun games into the eSport events. This is a historic step which combines live sports with sports in a virtual setting. We find this cooperation to be an innovative approach aiming to motivate the youth to get up, move, and take care of their mental, physical, and social health. This will be done through a series of competitions planned by ISF and IESF for the near future. Together with IESF, we are united in the Olympic spirit, a spirit of excellence, respect, and friendship, to build a new era of eSports among students all over the world.” 

  His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahayan, stated: “Positive behaviours and values are formed during the school years. The welfare of young people who participate in sports is a priority for all federations. IESF and ISF through this agreement can collaborate to craft suitable safe strategies that enable students to flourish, through physical, affective and cognitive domains that form the foundations of an active healthy life in esports.”

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=4610
  Originally published on: Tue, 16 Jun 2020 08:51:26 +0000

• IESF announces the Esports Education and Youth Leadership Commission (6/11/2020)

  The International Esports Federation (IESF) is excited to announce the Esports Education and Youth Leadership Commission is initiated.

  The Esports Education and Youth Leadership Commission will consist of three committees with, Academics, Administrators and Students. The commission will focus on not only expanding the ecosystem of esports and strengthening esports in schools but also developing curriculum material and courses that can be used for supporting education and learning to empower the youth under the shared visions and values.

  Serhat Bekdemir, Founder of Turkey’s Collegiate Esports League and European University Masters’ LOL champions of 2018 with Bahçeşehir University was appointed to lead this commission.

  Vlad Marinescu, the President of IESF, stated: “I am happy to announce that Serhat Bekdemir is going to lead IESF’s Esports Education and Youth Leadership Commission. Mr. Bekdemir is a long-time trusted friend of IESF and will assume the role of the commissioner to work closely with institutions to establish a strong commitment to making an impact in the Esports education and collegiate esports scene globally.”

  Serhat Bekdemir, the Commissioner of IESF Education and Youth Leadership, stated: “Grassroots esports is rising, and this is a great opportunity for me to work for IESF to support their mission, uniting the esports world. We are now calling for the best esports education institutions to get together and share the best practices from all over the world to help educate the youth, families and institutions about esports under the IESF’s leadership.”

  Mr. Bekdemir is one of the early movers in esports who has been active since the late ’90s. He has been working intensively to integrate esports into education, creating opportunities and empowering the youth to start their careers in esports. He is currently working with the American University of Malta to establish a new program.

  IESF’s Esports Education and Youth Leadership Commission will work to unite and support the collegiate ecosystem and raise the standard of esports through its member nations.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=4586
  Originally published on: Wed, 10 Jun 2020 09:48:38 +0000

• AESF Launches #YourHomeYourArena Campaign In Light of Covid-19 (6/4/2020)

  In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) has announced the launch of the Your Home, Your Arena (YHYA) campaign.

  With the aim of connecting and uniting the Esports community through social media and online tournaments, YHYA serves an ultimate goal of providing assistance to the vulnerable communities who have been adversely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic through Esports activities, crowdfunding and fundraising drive.

  The Origin of ‘Your Home, Your Arena’

  The simple idea of being able to game regardless of location isn’t novel but nowadays, it is even more apparent that everyone retains a semblance of normalcy in trying times. The idea behind ‘Your Home, Your Arena’ is self-explanatory; where gamers convert their homes into their personal arena. This in turn encourages people to stay home, stay safe, and practice social distancing while enjoying as well as staying connected.

  The core objectives of the YHYA campaign include;

  To unite the Esports community by working together with member associations, publishers, Esports athletes and Esports fans;  To provide a source of entertainment to our community during this trying time in the comfort of their homes through Your Home, Your Arena Charity Cup; To promote the importance of helping the community in need and further extend our assistance to those communities.

  Well aware of the many livelihoods affected as well as communities being financially hit due to subsequent effects of the steps taken to curb the spread of Covid-19, the AESF is doing what we can to help support and give back to the community.

  In order to achieve the points above, two main activities will take place;

  Your Home, Your Arena – Charity Cup – an invitational tournament involving two game titles – Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and The King of Fighters. All matches will also be available on stream via YouTube. Your Home, Your Arena – Charity Fundraising – a fund set up to encourage the public to donate to help the affected community.

  Details for the Your Home, Your Arena – Charity Cup are as follows:

  Tournament Dates: starting from June 4 Game Titles: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and The King of Fighters Confirmed Participants from: Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand & more to come.

  As a show of support for the YHYA initiative, the AESF member associations (MAs) will be providing assistance in form of participants, localized promotions as well as networking activities. It is hoped that YHYA would contribute significantly to each MAs’ ongoing process of growing their respective Esports communities.

  Addressing the Esports community in Asia in regards to the initiative, the AESF President, Mr Kenneth Fok said “At the AESF, we are very aware of this predicament thus the initiative in the form of the Your Home, Your Arena campaign. Through this initiative, we hope to harness the spirit of the Esports community for something which would benefit those beyond our immediate circle. No effort is too small and I welcome everyone to play an important part in this.”

  “I would also like to thank again the athletes, our members, and publishers SNK and Moonton, for providing a platform and hands through games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and The King of Fighters to continue our efforts to support our wider community as members of society.” he added.

  Through this platform, the AESF hopes to actively spread the message of the campaign as well as reach out to both Esports and non-Esports communities.

  Contributions and donations can be done at aesf.give.asia/yourhomeyourarena and for more info, head on over to AESF website www.aesf.com/events/aesf-yhya.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=4569
  Originally published on: Thu, 04 Jun 2020 04:59:27 +0000

• United Esports World One Step Closer to Reality (5/23/2020)

  IESF continues to promote unity within Esports as a new partnership is signed with WESCO

  “More partnerships and collaborations will be coming to make the dream of a united Esports World a reality,” said IESF President

  The International Esports Federation (IESF) had signed an MOU with WESCO (World Esports Consortium) as it continues to create more opportunities for collaboration within the Esports World.

  The MOU, Signed by IESF President Vlad Marinescu and WESCO President Daniel Cossi, had set a framework for collaboration between the two organizations, with the goal of promoting Unity within the Esports ecosystem.

  “This MOU marks an important moment in the unification of Esports,” says IESF President, Mr. Vlad Marinescu. “Our target at the IESF is unification, collaboration, and recognition. This agreement achieves the three objectives, all at the same time. I’d like to congratulate and thank Mr. Cossi for his contribution to Esports thus far. WESCO and the IESF will work together on various programs around the world that’ll achieve positive benefits for all stakeholders. We are looking forward to collaborating with more entities that have the same objectives as IESF which are to protect Esports athletes, ensure mental health and promote physical health as well, and also the recognition of Esports as a sport globally via the international federation and nationally via the national associations through a partnership with each country’s sports authority.”

  This move is part of a bigger strategy IESF has adopted to build a sustainable and united umbrella for the Esports ecosystem, which will include all interest and stakeholders and thus allow Esports to reach its full potential as a sport and an industry.

  Source: https://ie-sf.org/?p=4412
  Originally published on:Sat, 16 May 2020 15:02:07 +0000

• IESF Announces First Titles for 12th Esports World Championship (3/1/2020)

  IESF is very pleased to announce that eFootball PES series, Tekken 7 and DOTA 2 are the first titles announced for the 12th Esports World Championship in Eilat, Israel.

  KONAMI’s eFootball PES series will return for its second year as an official game title at the Esports World Championship. With its long history of international appeal, eFootball PES series is a natural choice for international Esports competitions.

  BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment’s Tekken 7 will also return to the IESF Esports World Championship. The popular 1:1 fighting game was first released in 1994At the 11th Esports World Championship in Seoul, world-famous Korean Tekken athlete “Knee” won the gold medal for South Korea.

  DOTA 2, developed and published by Valve Corporation, is one of the most popular Esports titles in recent years. Played in matches by two teams of five players, the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game enjoys enormous global Esports following.  Sweden was the gold medal champion at the 11th Esports World Championship in Seoul with a team that included gamers “Chessie”, “Xibbe”, “Charlie”, “EGM”, and “s4”. 

  IESF President, Colin Webster, stated, “It would be an honor to have the defending world champions for eFootball PES series, Tekken 7 and DOTA 2 attend IESF’s 12th World Championships. IESF’s 12th World Championships to be held in Eilat in November 2020 promises to be the most well-produced world championships ever. Without doubt, such World Championships is the jewel in the crown.”
  
  Colin then added, “Special thanks must be extended to the publishers of the titles for the use of such titles. Without the continued support of the publishers, Esports would not be the most vibrant sport in the world.”

  IESF is looking forward to seeing all the world’s best national teams represent their countries in these titles and more at IESF’s 12th Esports World Championship in Eilat, Israel.

  For more information, please visit IESF social media channel and the official event website: https://iesfwc.com

• IESF Launches International Esports Referee Academy (2/4/2020)

  International Esports Federation (IESF) is pleased to announce that International Esports Referee Academy is ready to become fully operational. The first session of the course is scheduled to begin Monday, February 24th, 2020.
  

  International Esports Referee Academy is one of the three pillars of the Global Esports R&D Center, located in Busan, South Korea. With the continued support of the City of Busan and the Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency (BIPA), the Global Esports R&D Center has been working to strengthen the Esports ecosystem and foster the evolution of the industry since 2018.
  

  International Esports Referee Academy is dedicated to the development of standards and intensive curriculum designed to educate and increase the expertise of national and international Esports referees. This is done in order to support the integrity of Esports, and to contribute to the success of athletes, teams, and events on the world stage.
  

  The curriculum has been developed by the IESF together with game publishers in an effort to ensure that it meets the highest standards. “Referees are the front-line of all of our member federations,” says IESF President Colin Webster, “as such, the IESF is committed to capacitating referees to the best of its ability to ensure the long-term growth and sustainability of Esports.”
  

  The course will also be made available to National Federations (NFs) for use in training referees for national competitions. This will be especially useful in emerging Esports markets, where the course will serve to legitimize national curriculum, and even provide an additional revenue stream.
  

  Candidates for IESF’s International Esports Referee program shall be nominated by member federations. Such member federations will nominate their best and their brightest. Member National Federations have until Wednesday, February 12th to make their nominations.
  

  IESF welcomes all interested referees to participate! For more information, please contact IESF through our website or social media channels.

• 47 NATIONS REPRESENTING NATIONAL PASSION FOR ESPORTS (12/5/2019)
  • 47 Nations to participate
  • Official Event Venue:  VSG Arena, Seoul
    

  The International Esports Federation (IESF) hereby announces the final participants of the 11th Esports World Championship (WC). A total of 47 nations worldwide will gather in Seoul, Korea, to compete in three official titles, representing their country and passion for esports.

  • DOTA 2 (Team Title) – 21 Nations
  • eFootball PES 2020 (Individual Title) – 33 Nations
  • Tekken 7 (Individual Title) – 34 Nations

  The 2019 WC will be held through December 11th -15th. As the largest international esports tournament where athletes represent their country, IESF’s 11^th WC Seoul is confident and ready to host all esports athletes from around the world

  For more information on the 11th Esports World Championship Seoul 2019, please visit https://www.ie-sf.org/tournaments/.

• IESF SIGNS MOU WITH MOTIVATE MEDIA GROUP (11/20/2019)

  The world’s fastest-growing sports sector, Esports, has expanded its global footprint with the announcement of a strategic partnership that will see its operations make significant headway in the Middle East.

  The new agreement – a joint venture between the International Esports Federation (IESF) and one of the region’s most established media companies, Motivate Media Group – comes ahead of the launch of a world-class annual Esports industry summit and consumer exhibition event in Dubai in 2020.

  Endorsed by the IESF, Dubai Sports Council, and Emirates Esports Association, the event will be a celebration of Dubai’s journey as a global destination hub for Esports organizations and industry leaders, thinkers, influencers and gaming enthusiasts.

  Esports is the fastest-growing sports category globally with more than 300 million gamers in the Middle East alone.

  Colin Webster, President of the IESF and Ian Fairservice, Founder and Managing Partner of Motivate Media Group, signed an MoU establishing a joint venture that introduces the most significant initiative of its kind for Esports in the region.

  ‘IESF is really excited to be collaborating with Motivate to establish a number of world-class Esports products that represents an important step in supporting Esports growth in the UAE, the Middle East and globally,’ says Mr Webster.

  ‘The potential for Esports in the Middle East is now being realised. ‘A national strategy is required to establish and house this remarkable ecosystem, Dubai is an amazing city and Motivate Media Group, celebrating its 40th year, is a perfect partner that can help support this vision.’

  Mr Fairservice concurred: ‘With the evolution of technology and the ongoing emergence of all forms of sport as a cultural and entertainment touchstone in society, there is no better time to launch an initiative that embraces this convergence.’

  ‘We see the future in Esports as being one of the most dynamic and rapidly expanding platforms in new media and are thrilled to be partnering with a leading institution such as the IESF to develop this in the Middle East.’

  Colin Webster added that the IESF is absolutely delighted to be attending another world first by Dubai Sports Council.

  ‘Artificial Intelligence will have a considerable impact in all aspects of life, and sport is no exception. By providing thought leadership to AI in Sport, this will clearly help shape future policy and its applications for a better world. The UAE was one of the first countries, if not the first, to appoint an AI minister as part of its portfolio. HE Omar Al Olama is a remarkable person with such insight.’

  ‘The IESF looks forward to our continued collaboration with Dubai Sports Council for the betterment of sports and humankind.’

  About IESF

  The International Esports Federation (IESF), based in Busan, Korea, is a not-for-profit organization that works consistently to promote Esports as a true sport which transcends language, gender, race and cultural barriers. Established in 2008, with nine founding nations, its membership has now expanded to over 56 countries.

  The IESF has established robust policies that ensure the welfare of its participants, whilst protecting the integrity of Esports.

  Structurally, it comprises a board, members of whom usually serve a four-year term and are duly elected by member federations.

  Other initiatives that IESF has developed for the betterment of Esports include an annual Esports World Championship, which is in its 11th edition, and a Global Esports Executive Summit (GEES) which was launched four years ago.

  The 11th World Esports Championship (2019) will be held from 11-15 December 2019 in Seoul where more than 45 nations are expected to compete.

  As an international federation for Esports, the IESF’s obligations include hosting international Esports tournaments, expanding the range of member nations, and establishing standards for referees, players, certifications, titles and competitions.

  About Motivate Media Group

  Motivate Publishing was founded in 1979 by Ian Fairservice and, together with his partner HE Obaid bin Humaid Al Tayer, the United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Financial Affairs, has developed the company to become one of the most successful media groups in the region. Motivate Media Group has more than 25 editorial titles across print and digital, and a diverse range of contract publishing, as well as a celebrated books division, content provision services, events management, diverse international joint ventures and leading cinema advertising business, Motivate Val Morgan. www.motivate.ae

  Contact

  White Wolf Strategies

  david@whitewolfconsultancy.com

  +971 50 6180 752 (WhatsApp)

• NATIONS CUP (INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP) (11/7/2019)

  Today on 05^th November, Shri Piyush Goyal Hon’ble Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, in a major boost to Indian esports, gaming and AVGC industry declared open the Nations Cup (International Esports Championship) to be held at Global Exhibition on Services 2019 in Bengaluru and unveiled the Trophy for Nations Cup during the curtain raiser event for GES 2019 held at ITC Maurya, New Delhi.

  During his launch address to the audience including Mr. Jagdish Shettar – Hon’ble Minister of Large & Medium Scale Industries Government of Karnataka and Diplomats from various Embassies he quoted “I was very delighted to hear the report which was shared in terms of the efforts to bring Animation & Esports into the country, this is the new age world that India needs to engage with..”

  SEPC will be organizing Nations Cup (International Esports Championship) in association with Electronic Sports Federation of India (ESFI) during the Global Exhibition on Services which is being held from 26^th-28^th November 2019. The Nations Cup will be one of the key highlights during GES and this being held at such a high profile services event will open up multiple avenues for the services industry particularly esports, gaming, animation etc.

  The Nations Cup will have two legs, Day one will have the India Qualifiers & Day two onwards eight esports teams from different National Esports Federation’s representing respective countries will compete at the Nations Cup. Winner of India Qualifiers will represent India at the Nations Cup.  Seven esports teams have been invited from different countries including Indonesia, Vietnam, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Japan, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Korea etc. Winning Nation’s Esports Team will take home the “Nations Cup” Trophy.

  As part of the Champion Sector under SEPC for Culture & Sports, there will be B2B meetings also aligned for the Indian Esports Companies and Video Game Developers.

  Global Exhibition on Services (GES), the 5th edition of Global Exhibition on Services (GES) 2019 is being organized and supported by Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India in partnership with the Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) from 26-28 November 2019 at the Palace Grounds, Bengaluru, Karnataka. This event is expected to have participation from about 100 countries and will host focused knowledge sessions and a large number of B2B B2G and B2C meetings. The upcoming GES 2019 will provide a platform for forging sustained partnerships amongst countries in the identified champion and focus services sectors. These include Cultural and Sports, Tourism and Hospitality Services, Medical Value Travel, Accounting and Finance Services, Legal Services, Infrastructure, Construction and Related Engineering Services, Environmental Services, Environmental services, Telecommunication services, Facility Management services, Intellectual Property Rights, Recreational, , Legal Services, Printing & Publishing, Aviation and space. 

  The GES 2018 was a collective success with participation from about 100 countries, 500 overseas delegates, over 628 exhibitors and more than 7000 structured B2B Meetings. At this edition, the Hon’ble President of India formally launched the 12 Champion Services Sector.

  Video Games Industry in India

   India is emerging as a leader in esports and video gaming, a growing field that has fascinated the interest of millennials like never before. The Indian digital gaming industry is growing rapidly due to smart phone penetration and cheap Internet.

  Currently, India stands at a global number 17 in the soon-to-be USD 1.5 billion video games industry. Estimated to be about $818 million, the Indian video games sector while vastly unstructured, is growing rapidly. The number of online gamers has increased from 20 million in 2010 to 250 million in 2018, whereas the number of game developing companies has grown from 25 in 2010 to 250 in 2018. India won a Bronze Medal in for esports in Asian Games 2018.

• THE NOMINEES FOR THE BOARD ARE IN (11/7/2019)

  International Esports Federation (IESF) has made the call for nominations, and the membership have responded with stellar nominations.
  
  IESF’s Board consists of one President, one Vice President, four Board Members and the Secretary General. The Chairperson of the Players’ Commission also sits on the Board in order to represent the rights and concerns of the Players. The Secretary General does not have a vote and provides the all important link between the elected Board Members and the Secretariat.
  
  Only once the elections have elected the five nominees, does the Board sit immediately after the Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) to elect the Vice-President.
  
  After such election, Board Members then divide up among themselves the various portfolios for which they will be accountable and responsible.
  
  IESF is confident that every single person nominated for the Board is of the Stature and of the ilk required to steer IESF towards greater things and deliver to the community which it serves.
  
  The full list of nominations received are as follows:
  

  #	Name (Nation)
  1	Eddy, Che Chien Lim (Indonesia)
  2	Ido Brosh (Israel)
  3	Magnus Jonsson (Sweden)
  4	Ramil Aliyev (Azerbaijan)
  5	Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifah Al-Nahyan (U.A.E.)
  6	Young Man Kim (South Korea)
  7	Hourieh Nikdast (Iran)
  8	Vlad Marinescu (USA.)
  9	Hana, Pei-Ching Hsu (Chinese Taipei)
  10	Boban Totovski (Macedonia)

  IESF President, Colin Webster, has already congratulated each nominee on being so nominated and is confident that the General Meeting will return the most deserving nominee as a Board Member.

• Patan College FIFA 2019 Inter College Championship fixture announcement (10/16/2019)

  Patan College FIFA 2019 Inter College Championship fixtures

  

  Venue: Patan College For Professional Studies
  Time: 12:00 PM on wards
  Date: 17 & 18 Oct 2019

• Players Registration deadline EXTENDED till 15 Oct 2019 (9/29/2019)

  NESA has extended the deadline for registration of the tournaments for Dota2 World Cup Qualifier & CSGO National Championship is extended till 10 Oct 2019 & for Patan College FIFA 2019 Inter College Championship dead line is extended till 15 of Oct 2019.

  All the players are also requested to pay their registration fees with eSewa with below link by 12 Oct 2019 for Dota2 and CSGO and 15 Oct 2019 for Patan College FIFA 2019 Inter College Championship.

  Registration Fees
  Patan College FIFA 2019 Inter College Championship – NPR 500 per player
  Dota2 World Cup Qualifier – NPR 2500 per team
  CSGO National Championship – NPR 2500 per team

  Qualifier Schedules
  Patan College FIFA 2019 Inter College Championship – 17 Oct & 18 Oct 2019
  Dota2 World Cup Qualifier – from 15 Oct to 20 Oct 2019
  CSGO National Championship – from 15 Oct to 20 Oct 2019

  Registration & Payment Links

  https://events.esewa.com.np/eSports/

  

  Registration form for Patan College FIFA 2019 Inter College Championship

  http://tiny.cc/fifa-online-form

  

  Registration Link for Dota2

  http://tiny.cc/NESA-Dota2

  http://tiny.cc/NESA-listing

  Registration Link for CSGO

  http://tiny.cc/NESA-CSGO

  http://tiny.cc/NESA-listing

  Registration for Cosplay Competition

  http://tiny.cc/NESA-Cosplay

• PATAN COLLEGE FIFA 2019 INTER COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP – REGISTRATION Can be done online (9/24/2019)

  NESA as open the registration of PATAN COLLEGE FIFA 2019 INTER COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP thru online as well.

  Registration Link

  http://tiny.cc/fifa-online-form

  

  Once the player fill-up the form they will be getting further instruction and details for the tournament.

• Patan College FIFA 2019 Inter College Championship – Registration Open (9/16/2019)

  

  Registration Forms
  Please download the registration form here

  How to Submit Forms
  Send scanned copy of registration form by email to eventesportsnepal@gmail.com.

  OR

  Register online: https://forms.gle/iQqWvWdjNyho3bt99

  Confirmation & Payment
  Once you get the confirmation email then you can process for payment thru esewa.com.np

  Registration Fee: Rs 500.00 for each player

  Last Date of Form Submission : 27 September 2019 Friday by 5:00 PM

• Classroom Rockers – Inter college band competition – Registration open (9/16/2019)

  

  Registration Forms
  Please download the registration form here

  How to Submit Forms
  Send scanned copy of registration form by email to eventesportsnepal@gmail.com.

  Conformation & Payment
  Once you get the conformation email then you can process for payment thru esewa.com.np

  Last Date of Form Submission : 27 September 2019 Friday by 5:00 PM

• 2nd Nepal Esports Championship and Expo 2019 has been rescheduled (8/24/2019)

  Kathmandu, Nepal (August 24, 2019) – NESA has postponed its 2nd Nepal Esports Championship and Expo 2019, scheduled in September 6th and 7th (Bhadra 20 and 21, 2076) to October 25 and 26 (Kartik 8 and 9, 2076) due to unavoidable technical circumstances.

  After hosting successful Nepal Esports Championship 2018, earlier on 3rd July, 2019 NESA announced its second episode of the event with much more exciting games and activities which includes Dota 2, CSGO, FIFA 19, Cosplay and Class room Rocker (Inter College/ School Musical Band Competition) with total prize pool of NPR 900,000 in cash and in kind.

  

  Evenafter postponement, same games will Dota 2 (World cup qualifying event), CSGO (National Championship) and FIFA 19 (Inter College Championship) will happen.

  Also with the same press release NESA announces its registration deadline for above stated events to be extended till 10th September 2019.

  Finally, NESA wants to make a humble request to all their stakeholders to cooperate with them and made apologies for inconvenience occurred.

  Nepal eSports Association (NESA)

• eFootball PES 2020, Official Title For 11TH ESPORTS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (8/16/2019)

  International Esports Federation (IESF) hereby announces eFootball PES 2020 as an official game title to be featured at the 11^th Esports World Championship.

  For the first time in Esports World Championship history, eFootball PES 2020 (developed and published by Konami Digital Entertainment) has been included as a sports genre with the new version being officially announced worldwide on September 10th.  IESF looks forward and is excited to engage with the PES community and inviting national athletes to the World Championships in Seoul. All athletes who shall participate in the tournament are selected through national qualifiers of Esports National Federations that are affiliated to IESF.

  For more information on World Championships game titles, please visit: https://www.ie-sf.org/iesf-news/#news-list

• IESF RELEASES AGENDA FOR GEES 2019 (8/12/2019)

  International Esports Federation (IESF) is pleased to announce the full agenda of the 4^th GEES (Global Esports Executive Summit) 2019. GEES 2019 will take place in Busan during August 29th -31st, featuring renowned keynote speakers, educational programs, panel discussions,
  post-conference workshop, and more.

  GEES this year will be held under the theme of “Esports
  Sustainability and Governance’, continuing to enhance dialogue between esports
  and sports stakeholder. Sub themes are divided into four sectors which are
  Health, Sustainability, Governance and Future Direction.

  GEES 2019 continues to aim to be the platform to share ideas, create synergies,
  and most of all, to reach a mutual consensus for esports development.

  For
  registration and further information on GEES 2019,
  please visit: https://gees.rsportz.com/

  
• IESF CO-OPTS A NEW VICE PRESIDENT (7/6/2019)

  IESF is delighted to announce that Vlad Marinescu, current Board member of IESF and President of United States eSports Federation, has been unanimously appointed as the Vice President.

  Vlad Marinescu said “I am honored to be entrusted by the IESF board with the appointment to the Vice President position. I wholeheartedly believe that a strong collaboration and exchange needs to exist between traditional sport and Esports to ensure sharing of values, practices and experience with the scope of educating the youth for a better tomorrow.”
  
  IESF, thus thanks Magnus Jonsson for the expert manner in which he acted as caretaker of this important position. Please see https://www.ie-sf.org/news/the-way-forward-the-acting-vice-president./
  
  As Vice-President, Vlad Marinescu has the following portfolios

  • World Championships,

  • Ex-officio on LOC’s for IESF events, and

  • To act in the President’s stead should the President be absent.

  With Vlad Marinescu having served as a previous Director General of GAISF (Global Association of International Sports Federation), IESF President, Colin Webster is confident that Vlad has the necessary experience and competencies for IESF to reach its ambitions.
  
  

• 2nd Nepal Esports Championship and Expo 2019 (7/2/2019)

  After hosting successful Nepal Esports Championship 2018, NESA is organizing 2^nd Nepal Esports Championship and Expo 2019 on September 6^th and 7^th ( Bhadra 20 and 21 2076) at Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu, Nepal. MICE Intl service Pvt. Ltd. will manage this event.

  2^nd Nepal Esports Championship and Expo intend to bring gamers from all around Nepal in a single platform. The main vision of this event is to provide an international platform to gamers so that they can represent Nepal for various tournaments held worldwide.  Dota 2 has been announced as main title game for the event, the winner of the championship will get opportunity to participate in 11^th World Championship to be held in Seoul, South Korea hosted by International Esports Federation (IESF).  The second title will be FIFA College Championship open for all colleges.  

  Also with the addition of Expo, our goal is to tell about and help to sort out e-Sports business opportunities with genuine interest. We want to give a new prospect and business view on how to make money out of this industry along with a perfect chance for new market participants to announce themselves and provide unique platform for search of new partners and investment attraction. We plan to involve financial institutions, educational institutions, manufacturer of electronic and appliances, gadgets and accessories, software and game developers, hobbyist, collectibles, figurines re-sellers and traders of e-sports lifestyle items as our possible exhibitors.

  Beside the Championship we will be conducting various other side events like Cosplays and Musical Concert to celebrate Esports Championship as a youth Festival.

• Registration for Global Esports Executive Summit 2019 is now open (7/2/2019)

  International Esports Federation (IESF) is delighted to announce that registration for the Global Esports Executive Summit (GEES) 2019 is now open.

  GEES 2019 will be held in Busan for the third consecutive years on Aug 29th – September 1^st at the Paradise Hotel. The main conference for sharing ideas, creating synergies, and most of all, to reach a mutual consensus for holistic esports development will be on August 30^th, 2019.

  GEES this year will be focusing on enhancing dialogues between esports and sports stakeholders, and to openly discuss relevant issues. IESF confirmed the six themes to be discussed at the GEES 2019. The themes of this year are as follows:

  • Future Direction of Esports

  • Esports and Sports

  • Sustainability of Esports

  • Esports and Match Fixing

  • Esports Policy

  • Esports and Medical Issues

  Registration for GEES 2019 will be conducted via the official. (Reference: http:// gees.rsportz.com) Early bird promotion for accreditation is available until 31 July 2019. IESF looks forward to welcoming the esports and sports community to Busan.

• GEES 2019 to be held in Busan, Korea, 29 to 31 August 2019 (6/13/2019)

  International Esports Federation (IESF) is delighted to announce the Global Esports Executive Summit (GEES) 2019 is taking place on 29 and 31 August 2019. The fourth edition of IESF’s GEES 2019 will take place in the dynamic city of Busan, Korea for the third consecutive year and bring the combined knowledge, experiences and ideas from all key esports stakeholders to the fore. GEES 2019 is being financially supported by the Busan Metropolitan City and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

  
  Since 2016, GEES has been the platform to share ideas, create synergies, and most of all, to reach a mutual consensus for esports development. 2018 saw 181 key decision makers from National Esports Federations, Publishers, Esports Media and others take part in GEES 2018 from 57 nations to openly discuss on how esports can generate synergies with traditional sports.

  According to Colin Webster, IESF President, “GEES represents the spirit of openness, transparency, and willingness that is IESF’s culture to work with all role-players who are already immersed in the world of esports, as well as those who wish to become role-players in this fast growing and fascinating sport”.

  GEES2019 will thus continue to enhance dialogue between esports stakeholders, and to openly discuss various issues in esports. GEES 2019 will also continue the integration with Esports Academic Seminar as a parallel program, sharing the latest academic research in the esports industry.  It was in 2018 that IESF announced its vision of the Global Esports R&D Center to support Esports researches through the Academic Research Center which IESF continues to promote. (Reference: https://www.ie-sf.org/news/iesf-launches-global-esports-rdcentre-for-further-esports-development/).

  Further detailed information for GEES 2019 and Academic Seminar will be announced with the opening of the registration website in the following days.

• IESF announces DOTA 2 as First Game Title for 11 th Esports World Championship (5/23/2019)

  International Esports Federation (IESF) hereby announces DOTA 2 as the first official game title to be included in the 11th Esports World Championship in Seoul, Korea. Considered to have universal appeal, DOTA 2 has been selected by IESF. According to Global Esports Market Report 2019 sourced from “Newzoo”, DOTA 2 has ranked in the top 3 as the most watched game title on Twitch and YouTube Gaming with 250.4 million hours.

  
  IESF’s Esports World Championship is the only annual International Esports competition based on nationality. IESF’s Esports World Championship has been held every year since 2009, and is supported by all its 54 National Member Federations which hold national qualifiers in order to select representative teams.
  

  IESF is currently in the process of selecting additional game titles and shall make the final announcement for all official and demonstration game titles after completing all negotiations with the Game Developers.
  

  For more information regarding the 11th Esports World Championship please see IESF’s website: https://www.ie-sf.org/

• 11th Esports World Championship: December 11 to 15, 2019 (5/23/2019)

  International Esports Federation (IESF) hereby announces the dates for its upcoming 11 th Esports World Championship to be held in Seoul.
  Following the very successful World Championships in Kaohsiung, IESF’s 11 th Esports World Championship shall be held in Seoul, South Korea, from 11 th to 15 th December, 2019.
  For over 10 years, Esports World Championship has established its status as the only International Esports World Championship based on participation from Member National Federations.
  With the ever increasing number of IESF Member National Federations continually growing, such membership has now increased to 54 nations, and, as a result of such growth, IESF’s 11 th Esports World Championship is a dynamic Esports World Championship reflecting the diversity and representation of its member federations. For more information about IESF’s previous Championship history, such can be found on the following link: https://www.ie-sf.org/our-tournaments/

• THE WAY FORWARD – THE ACTING VICE-PRESIDENT. (5/21/2019)

  With the unexpected resignation of Silviu Stroei from International Esports Federation’s Board, a position has opened up on the Board which IESF will have to fill as soon as possible if the Board is to continue to fire on all cylinders.

  As a stop-gap, IESF has temporarily appointed Board member, Magus Jonsson, of Sweden, to act as Acting Vice-President. Such appointment shall only be in force until the Board appoints a Board member formally to hold such office.

  It is the President’s considered opinion that such position must be filled as soon as possible for the following reasons:
  

  • Should the President be absent, it is the Vice-President that must immediately step up to the plate and continue with the President’s workoad, and
  • The Vice-President has oversight of the World Championships.

  Thus IESF’s Board has selected Magnus Jonsson to act as acting Vice-President until further notice.

  Colin Webster, President of IESF, says of Magnus, “Magnus is a valued Board member who has served IESF well during his terms of office and is more than capable of acting as a caretaker of such an important office.”

• SEOUL, TO BE HOST CITY FOR 11TH ESPORTS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (2/26/2019)

  IESF’s 11^th Esports World Championship will be held in fourth quarter of the year in Seoul.

  International Esports Federation (IESF) hereby announces that its 11^th Esports World Championships 2019 shall be held in Seoul, South Korea.

  Seoul is undoubtedly the Mecca of Esports, and participants and spectators will be able to indulge in the numerous PC bangs that are to be found in this vibrant and dynamic city. Seoul too has a long history of Esports broadcasting of over 18 years, as well as wonderful governmental support for the development of Esports.

  (more…)

• 10th Esports World Championship Group Draw Result (11/6/2018)

  With only few days left until the opening ceremony, the Group draw of each discipline (LoL, CS:GO, Tekken 7) has been finalized. Broadcasted live on the official IESF Twitch and YouTube channel, the full footage can be viewed online.

  Below are the draw results of each country.

  Counter Strike: Global Offensive

  Group A: Australia, Serbia, Georgia, Nepal

  Group B: Israel, Denmark, Macedonia, Namibia

  (more…)

• Coldzera: ‘If you ask me the best team I’ve played in my life, I’ll say it’s LG (10/23/2018)

  Like a loving relationship, chemistry is essential in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. At least that’s what MIBR leader and twice-elected best player in the world from 2016 to 2017, Marcelo “coldzera” David, thinks.

  Coldzera sat down with ESPN Esports Brazil during the Brazil Game Show to discuss his team and reflect on his career.

  “I think having a strong team depends on a lot of people,” he said. “Like it or not, Stewie and tarik are less warm than Brazilians. Stewie has improved a lot in this matter. Tarik is still a little cold. We are not living together to meet, have lunch and dinner together and create this chemistry.”

  “We are in the process of learning. We have to adapt to them as they also have to adapt to us. It’s difficult — it’s something that comes with time. It will take about three to four months to improve this chemistry inside and outside the game,” he added.

  However, chemistry is not the only determining factor for a team’s success. The language barrier and differences in mentality have also been mentioned as elements that are part of this process of change.

  It is bad for us when we extend the holidays too much during the year. When we get back, we are unprepared and behind everyone else,” coldzera said. “A player from Europe and the United States can go out, have dinner, go to a party and the next day he plays with rain, NiKo. The skill level is kept because he is playing with the best. Here in Brazil we do not feel like playing. We know it’s not going to be such a good deal. We prefer to take a detox and not play, but I think we extend that a lot.”

  After a rough start, the team also decided to dismiss Epitácio “Taco” Filho and Ricardo “boltz” Prass. And, after speculating about national and international players, Stewie2k and Tarik “tarik” Celik were chosen.

  “This year in August we have cut our holidays in half. We had 10 days off and two weeks of boot camp. We realized that we need only seven or 10 days, then we have to go back and prepare ourselves more than everyone,” he added.

  “We wanted s1mple and flamie at the time, but it did not work out. They wanted to come, but there were some problems. Before we called the Europeans, we tried some Brazilians. We made offers, but some organizations asked for ridiculous prices, which unfortunately were not worth it”, he revealed.

• Worlds 2018 quarterfinal predictions (10/23/2018)

  After eight straight days of group stage games at the 2018 League of Legends World Championship in South Korea, the field has been cut down in half.

  Goodbye, Vietnam and Taiwan, who saw all their teams eliminated from the knockout rounds.

  North America, who was primed to join them with zero teams in the quarterfinals, found solace in an org who has made the top-eight its home over the years — Cloud9 — making their fifth quarterfinal appearance in six years.

  Europe feels confident sending its two dynastic organizations, G2 Esports and Fnatic, to the knockout stage, the latter having the best chance for a western team to make the finals since 2011, where it won the inaugural title.

  South Korea expected to send its trio of teams straight to the quarterfinals but, following a flubbed run by defending champion Gen.G and a near-disaster by the Afreeca Freecs, will only send a pair of teams to the next round. Still, KT Rolster, the country’s champion, stands nearly spotless following the group stages, only losing a single game to its Chinese rivals.

  And finally, the only region to keep its numbers intact through play-ins and groups, we have China. The most dominant region over the course of 2018, the only thing left for China to do is win the Summoner’s Cup for the first time in the region’s history. At the forefront, Royal Never Give Up, the winners of the Mid-Season Invitational and both Chinese domestic seasons this year, will have its sights only on the final at the beginning of November in Incheon.

  Before the action resumes in Busan, let’s take a look at the matches that will determine the quartet who will be advancing to the semifinal stage in Gwangju.

• Black Ops 4 tourney, Code Red, reviewed: ‘We just got Shrouded on, bro’ (10/23/2018)

  Jack “CouRage” Dunlop was unstoppable for most of Code Red, Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm’s inaugural Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 tournament held on Thursday. The CoD caster turned Fortnite aficionado returned to his first love in style, fragging out for the better part of seven hours in the game’s new battle royale mode “Blackout” on the way to the grand finals.

  The championship was within reach. But that was before a legend had his say.

  “We just got Shrouded on, bro,” CouRage said in shocked tones to his duos partner Tyler “TeePee” Polchow. Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek’s 14-kill masterclass in Game 1 of the grand finals was filled with outplays and shots that left CouRage and TeePee screaming in disbelief.

  It was a performance that not only won Code Red, but announced to all newcomers that Blackout might be just another realm for Shroud to conquer.

  Code Red marked the first competitive event for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, released less than a week ago amid rabid anticipation. The venerable series’ newest iteration completely eschewed a campaign mode; developer Treyarch preferred to go all-in on the battle royale phenomenon that has swept through the shooter scene. Blackout has all the markings of the genre popularized by PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and launched into orbit by Fortnite: circles, random loot, points of interest and a battle to the death. Code Red put its differences — both good and bad — on display in a tournament that acted as a positive first step for Blackout’s esports future.

  Hosted in partnership with Esports Arena and Boom.tv, Code Red offered a $20,000 prize pool to 32 of the scene’s biggest names ($12,000 of which was allocated to the winning duo). Shroud and Dr Disrespect were the marquee pairing, but the field also featured CoD statesmen Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez and Matt “Nadeshot” Haag, as well as a bevy of popular streamers like Jaryd “summit1g” Lazar, Tim “Trick2g” Foley and Jesse “RealKraftyy” Kraft. Each of the 16 duos were required to complete a four-game preliminary round to determine who would advance to the bracket stage.

  Kills, of course, were the determining factor.

  The prelims best showcased Esports Arena and Boom.tv’s contribution to the event, the latter acting as a hub page where player streams and kill scores were readily accessible. The ease of switching from stream to stream was a stylistic alternative to Esports Arena’s broadcasted stream from Santa Ana, California.

  Casters Bil “Jump” Carter, Nathan “Nathanias” Fabrikant and Jacob “MvPR” Arce did their best to buttress the proceedings with engaging commentary as they hopped between player perspectives, but most viewers flocked to the player streams, with Shroud and Dr Disrespect easily outpacing the others by tens of thousands.

  Code Red was played entirely on live servers, and was therefore subject to the foibles of such a setup. Some players suffered connectivity issues that in one instance necessitated a full replay. Then, there was the question of lobby fairness. As Shroud correctly pointed out on his stream, the format had no equalizer for some teams getting easier lobbies versus others being drawn into high skill games, which unfairly impacted their kill scores. For their part, Shroud and Dr Disrespect easily qualified for the bracket stage with 35 kills, second only to CouRage and TeePee.

  Brackets were standard double-elimination fare, with matches completed in two games sets. Competing duos played squad games with all four players in the same party, each trying to record the most kills they could. Strict sabotage rules prohibited friendly fire with vehicles or grenades, but often opposing teams kept their distance from each other (better to maximize kills) as part of an unspoken honor system. Players also refused to use a well-known Exo Suit movement glitch that could quickly close the gap. Map markers were used sparingly to keep the other team uninformed of potential kills, or creatively dropped as a mind-game to mislead. Having both teams in the same lobby ensured a level of fairness the prelims lacked, yet the results stayed the same, calling into question how large of a competitive balance issue it actually was.

• Thank you Cloud9 for bringing back hope to North America (10/23/2018)

  It was a hazy day in Guangzhou, China during the 2017 League of Legends World Championship quarterfinals. On the slate that day was hometown favorite Team WE — hoping to make its country proud by making it to the semifinals — and its opponent Cloud9, the lone North American representative left in the tournament, a team that barely made it out of the group stage.

  Standing out like a 6’5″ sore thumb, I was asked by a group of Chinese teenagers seated in front of me where I was from. When I replied “Los Angeles,” they asked what I did and who I was rooting for. After telling them I was a journalist and had an affinity for C9, a team I’ve covered weekly for two years at that point, their faces shifted into smirks, with even a few laughing.

  They weren’t malicious, just matter-of-factly. To them, North American League of Legends was a joke. I later learned some of them were fans of European squads like Fnatic and G2 Esports, Korean teams like SK Telecom T1 — even Flash Wolves, Taiwan’s lone hope, was given some credence. North America, though? They were the region of funny players and memes that never amounted to anything at international events.

  When the games started, a mocking “T-S-M!” chant broke out in pockets across the sold-out arena. Although C9 would show up on the day and push the Chinese favorites to their absolute limit, going the full five games in the set, it was the same result, per usual.

  They were eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage; and though amusing, they were no threat to the better teams in the competition.

  A year later, this time in South Korea, C9 once again stood as the last team for North America at the world championships. Once again, they were fighting against a hometown favorite, this time in the form of Afreeca Freecs, the last team standing from South Korea, the region with winners from the last five worlds. In fact, even in its worst year at worlds in season two, South Korea still sent a team to the final, and the victory (Taipei Assassins over South Korea’s Azubu Frost) to this day is seen as one of the greatest upsets in the game’s history.

  Unlike the last year, though, C9 would not be denied this time. It only took three games for it to dispatch of the final South Korean from the tournament, and there was no question which team was better on the international stage. In its fifth quarterfinal in six years, finally, C9 and North America by proxy, made it to the semifinals. It marks the first time North America has made it to the top-four of a League of Legends World Championship since the very first iteration of the competition back in 2011 when there were only eight teams invited, three from North America and squads from China and South Korea not invited.

  For the first time, maybe ever, I’m proud to cover North American League of Legends.

  Does this mean NA is a better region than South Korea? Of course not. C9 has always been the outlier for the region at worlds, and that didn’t change this year, albeit with the team going further than it ever has.

  What it does do is show a blueprint in which other North American teams can hopefully work off of in the coming months as the 2019 season begins. In an offseason where the newly christened North American franchises opened up the bank accounts to pour money on prized free agents, C9, by many accounts, “lost” the offseason, its biggest moves being the signings of Eric “Licorice” Ritchie, a minor league top laner, and Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen, the maligned former jungler of Team SoloMid who was the scapegoat for the top North American seed failing at the 2017 world championship.

  Compared to other teams, it felt like a joke. Why Svenskeren? What could Licorice do that Jung “Impact” Eon-yeong couldn’t? Why didn’t owner Jack Jack Etienne care about the team? Where the hell was the signing of South Korean jungler Han “Peanut” Wang-ho to bolster the starting lineup?

  For years, North America has been the region where if the infrastructure, coaching and team chemistry weren’t working, the quickest fix was a blank check to a high-profile player. It has become the region for splashy signings and even splashier drama.

  The reason why the region became a joke was because it’s impossible to ignore North America if you’re from another region. The headquarters to Riot Games, the game creator, was nestled right across the street from the North American League Championship Series. A lot of the production international fans see come from the NA broadcast. The promo videos played in Busan for the quarterfinal had English subtitles for Korean players (and we were in South Korea). Team SoloMid, win or lose, were the most talked about franchise in all of League of Legends right there next to SK Telecom T1, who has been to four world finals and has three Summoner’s Cups to their names. TSM hasn’t even made it out of the group stage during that same time period while SKT T1 has been winning trophies.

  Who wouldn’t make fun of a region that gets more attention than its more successful and talented brother in Europe or other regions across the world? If anything, from the outside, NA should be mocked. They spend a lot of money. They take players from better regions. And for the most part, they fail to capitalize with all their advantages, routinely losing to minnow regions and getting outperformed by teams with a fraction of the payroll.

• The first ever Nepal E-sports Championship 2018 concluded successfully by NESA (8/19/2018)

  Nepal E-Sports Association (NESA) successflly concluded ‘Nepal E-sports Championship 2018’ for the first time in Nepal. The two days’ event was organized at Bhirkuti Mandap on 17th and 18th August. Two online gaming sessions of CS:GO and Dota2 were actively participated by thirty two teams. Each gaming session had sixteen teams with enthusiastic youths.

  In CS:GO session, Desperadoes Team won the game and 4Merical Team was runner-up. Whereas in Dota2, New Era Gaming Team bagged the first position followed by Underdog Team. Besides main games, the event hosted other esports like FIFA, PUBG along with cosplayer competition, concert and other fun activities.

  ‘Nepal Esports Championship 2018’ was inaugurated by Honorable Mr. Jeevan Ram Shrestha current President of Nepal Olympic Committee. He stated that esports is growing in Nepal and with the success of such event, Nepal will be in the forefront of winning the title in 2022 Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, China.

  In closing ceremony, Mr Suraj Dangol (President, NESA) thanked all the sponsors (NCell, WordLink, eSewa, Mymcha, Opera) and supporters (WASDA, Power Play, Gamers Hideout, Game Planet, Himalaya TV ) and Addea Services for management services who helped to make event successful.

• NESA announces Nepal Esports Championship 2018 (6/21/2018)

  Nepal Esports Association (NESA) initiated the event “NEPAL E-SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018” which is managed by Addea Services Pvt. Ltd.. The event will be held at Bhrikuti Mandap on 1st and 2nd Bhadra, 2075 (August 17th and 18th, 2018)

  “Nepal E-sports Championship 2018” intends to bring gamers from all around Nepal in a single platform. The main vision of this event is to provide an international platform to gamers, so that they can represent Nepal for various tournaments held worldwide. The competition will have two main games, on a pavilion for the entire audience.

  Title Games:
  a. Dota2
  b. Counter Strike Global Offense

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• 1st Entry Complete for 10th Esports World Championship (6/18/2018)

  International Esports Federation (IESF) hereby announces that total 670 participants from 42 countries have registered for 1st Entry of the Esports World Championship Kaohsiung 2018. This is the largest participation in the history of the World Championship showing great interest towards the 10th edition of the event.

  41 countries registered for League of Legends (LoL), 40 countries registered for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and 37 countries have registered for Tekken 7.
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• Host Bidding Announcement 11th Esports World Championship 2019 (6/18/2018)

  International Esports Federation(IESF) has now issued all its member federations with the “Official Host Bidding Announcement” for the 11th Esports World Championship 2019.

  The attachment of the email includes the following documents:

  • • Official Announcement of Host Bidding
    • Host City Bidding Application Form
    • Event Organization Agreement Form
    • IESF Event Manual
    • IESF Doping Control Guidebook
    • IESF Introduction
    • Esports World Championship Introduction

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