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Karen Chiu

Esports will become an official medal event in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in 2022, marking a first for the multi-sports tournament and a major step forward for competitive gaming.
The move was confirmed by the Hangzhou organising committee on its Weibo account on Wednesday.
Esports was first included as a demonstration sport at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. Six titles were featured: Arena of Valor, Hearthstone, League of Legends, StarCraft II, Clash Royale and Pro Evolution Soccer 2018. China took home two golds while Indonesia, South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan each took one.
The gaming community had expected the incorporation of esports as a sporting event in the Hangzhou Games after the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) announced in 2017 a partnership with Alibaba’s sports arm, Alisports. But the journey was not without hiccups.
(Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.)
When the OCA unveiled its initial list of medal sports for the 2022 games, esports was conspicuously absent. It left esports advocates in the region scrambling to petition for its inclusion.

The Asian Electronic Sports Federation, consisting of members from 45 countries and regions, said it welcomes the latest development.
“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,” the group said in a statement.
The addition of esports to the Hangzhou programme, along with breakdancing, brings the number of official sports in the 2022 event to 40. But while breakdancing recently clinched a debut spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the future of esports in the global athletic event is not as clear.
Breakdancing and surfing among four sports to win Paris 2024 Olympic spot
The International Olympics Committee has said that it “sees great potential” for incorporating electronic games that simulate traditional sports, including the use of virtual or augmented reality technology.
“With regard to other electronic games … at this stage, the sports movement should focus on players and gamers rather than on specific games,” the committee said following the 8th Olympic Summit last year.
“This focus on individuals should promote the participation in sport and its benefits as well as healthy lifestyle at all levels.”
While some existing esport tournaments feature sports games such as the FIFA series, NBA 2K and Pro Evolution Soccer, most esports leagues play other genres like first-person shooters, fighting games and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA).
MOBA explained: One of the most popular genres in esports is making a push on mobile
The Hangzhou Asian Games is expected to take place between 10 and 25 September, 2022. Nagoya, Japan will host in 2024 while Doha, Qatar won the hosting rights for 2030 on Wednesday.


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The Indonesian team competes in an esports match as an exhibition sport at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta on August 28, 2018. Photo: AFP

In this Sunday Aug. 26, 2018 photo, the China eSports team play Taiwan in the eSports exhibition at the 18th Asian Games Arena of Valor, Britama Arena, Jakarta. Esports is debuting as an exhibition sport in the on-going Asian Games and is targeted for full inclusion in four years at the games in Hangzhou, China. (Dhemas Reviyanto,INASGOC via AP)

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