ITV

Tag: Asian Games 2022

  • Maharashtra govt rewards state’s Asian Games 2022 e-sports athletes with Rs 10 lakhs

    Maharashtra govt rewards state’s Asian Games 2022 e-sports athletes with Rs 10 lakhs

    Mumbai: In a groundbreaking move, the directorate of sports and youth services of the Government of Maharashtra has rewarded a significant amount of Rs 10 lakhs to each Esports athlete of the state who represented India in the Asian Games 2022, held in Hangzhou. This marks a historic moment for Indian Esports, as it is the first time any state has included Esports alongside mainstream sports in prize money rewards for its state players in a major tournament.

    The recipients of this monetary reward include Darshan Bata, captain of the DOTA 2 team, along with his teammates Krish Gupta, Ketan Goyal, and Shubham Goli, as well as League of Legends athlete Samarth Trivedi.

    Expressing his gratitude, Darshan Bata, the captain of the DOTA 2 team who hails from Mumbai, said, “I would like to express my sincere thanks to ESFI and the Maharashtra government for honoring us and recognizing and supporting Esports.”

    Esports made its debut as a full-fledged medal event at the Asian Games 2022, where a total of 476 athletes from 30 different countries competed for gold medals across seven titles. India participated in four of these titles, including DOTA 2, EA Sports FC Online, League of Legends, and Street Fighter V: Champion Edition.

    “It has been a great experience at Asian games, I am grateful for the support I received from the Maharashtra government and I really appreciate the efforts ESFI has contributed to our journey,” stated Ketan Goyal of Pune who was a part of the DOTA 2 team at the Asian Games 2022.

    The talented Indian contingent for the Asian Games was sent by Esports Federation of India (ESFI), who had organized open for all nationwide online qualifiers to select the best and most deserving athletes to compete for the nation at the tournament.

    “Really happy to see that Esports is getting recognized and we are being aided by the government. Thank you for the support to Maharashtra Government and a big shoutout to ESFI for giving us this opportunity to represent India in the Asian games,” highlighted Krish Gupta of Pune, a member of the Indian DOTA 2 team.

    The League of Legends team, in particular, achieved a historic fifth-place finish at the 19th Asian Games after competing against top-tier teams from around the continent.

    “I am really grateful to the Maharashtra government for providing us with the financial support. It is amazing to see Esports being recognized by the Government. A huge shoutout to ESFI for giving us the opportunity and platform to compete at the Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou,” commented Samarth Trivedi of Thane who played a pivotal part in the country’s performance in League of Legends at the tournament.

    Prior to the 19th Asian Games, India had also secured a remarkable bronze medal at the Commonwealth Esports Championships in DOTA 2, showcasing the country’s prowess in video gaming on the international stage.

    “Thank you ESFI and team for all you support throughout Asian games 2022. We are really blessed and honored by Maharashtra Government for supporting Esports players and considering Esports in events like Commonwealth and Asian Games,” noted Shubham Goli, a resident of Pune who represented India at both the Commonwealth Esports Championships as well as the Asian Games 2022 in DOTA 2.

    The latest FICCI-EY report titled ‘#Reinvent: India’s media & entertainment sector is innovating for the future, India is expected to have 20 international teams by 2024.

    The Maharashtra government’s recognition and support of Esports signals a significant milestone in the journey towards mainstream acceptance of competitive gaming as a legitimate sport in the country.

  • India’s Esports contingent concludes historic debut campaign at Asian Games 2022

    India’s Esports contingent concludes historic debut campaign at Asian Games 2022

    Mumbai: India’s 15-member Esports contingent wrapped up its remarkable journey at the ongoing Asian Games 2022 as the nation’s DOTA 2 team exited the competition at the China Hangzhou Esports Centre on Friday.

    The DOTA 2 squad led by skipper Darshan Bata (A35), and comprising Krish Gupta (Krish-), Abhishek Yadav (Abhi-), Ketan Goyal (Evil-Ash), and Shubham Goli (Madness) endured a 0-1 defeat against Kyrgyzstan in their opening group game before going down 0-1 against the Philippines in the second group stage game to bow out of the competition.

    In what was Esports’ debut as an official medal sport at the prestigious tournament, India had participated in four of the seven total titles namely: DOTA 2, League of Legends, EA Sports FC Online, and Street Fighter V: Champion Edition.

    “We are proud of our Esports athletes’ resolute efforts and gritty performances at the Asian Games 2022. Each and every athlete from the contingent is an inspiration for India’s budding Esports community that wants to represent their country in Esports. This tournament has provided an invaluable experience and motivation for our Esports athletes to build upon and enhance their gameplay for the future,” said Esports Federation of India director and Asian Esports Federation (AESF) VP Lokesh Suji.

    India’s prolific League of Legends team captained by Akshaj Shenoy (Kai), and comprising Samarth Arvind Trivedi (CrankO), Mihir Ranjan (Lotus), Sanindhya Malik (Deadcorp), Aakash Shandilya (Infi), Aditya Selvaraj (Krow) finished fifth at 19th Asian Games after suffering a hard-fought 0-2 defeat against Vietnam in the quarter finals.

    The country’s star EA Sports FC Online athlete, Charanjot Singh, secured the ninth place out of a total pool of 36 leading athletes from the continent in this competition. The 20-year-old began his campaign with a 0:2 defeat to China’s Liu Jiacheng in the Round of 32 but bounced back strongly with three consecutive wins against Aristorenas Jorrel of Philippines, Alrowaihi RKM of Bahrain, and Yessentayev Olzhas of Kazakhstan in the Losers Bracket Round 1, 2, and 3 respectively.

    However, his campaign came to an end after enduring another 0-2 defeat against Liu Jiacheng of China in the Losers Bracket Round 4. His compatriot Karman Singh exited the competition after going down by 1-2 against Aldhafiri Meshari of Kuwait in the Losers Bracket Round 2.

    “Despite the competition being fierce, our League of Legends team secured a remarkable fifth-place finish, while Charanjot Singh achieved a commendable ninth place among the continent’s top EA Sports FC Online athletes. We are now eagerly anticipating the Asian Games 2026, where Esports will once again be an official medal sport, and our full-strength Indian contingent will give their all in pursuit of glory,” added Lokesh Suji.

    In Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, the talented Ayan Biswas clinched a Top 16 place for India. He began his campaign on a winning note against Nguyen Khanh Hung Chau of Vietnam from the Round of 32 suffering a defeat against Alrayfal Abdulrahman Salem A of Saudi Arabia in the Winners Bracket Round 1. He then beat Vietnam’s Nguyen again by 2-0 in the Losers Bracket Round 2 but fell short against Yeh Man Ho of Hong Kong in the Losers Bracket Round 3.

    Ayan’s teammate, Mayank Prajapati began his tournament against Rajikhan Talal Fuad T of Saudi Arabia and fought valiantly in a fiercely contested 1-2 defeat. He then endured another loss against Al-Mannai Abdulla of Qatar by 0-2 in the Losers Bracket Round 1 and exited the tournament.

    Having been featured as a demonstration event in 2018, Esports made its full-fledged debut as an official medal sport at the Asian Games 2022 where a total of 476 athletes from 30 different countries competed for gold medals in seven different titles.

     

  • Asian Games 2022: Official draws for Esports announced; India set to kick off campaign on 24 September

    Asian Games 2022: Official draws for Esports announced; India set to kick off campaign on 24 September

    Mumbai: The highly anticipated draws for all Esports titles at the ongoing Asian Games 2022 have been officially announced with India set to commence with its campaign in EA Sports FC Online at the China Hangzhou Esports Centre on 24 September. Esports Federation of India director and Asian Esports Federation (AESF) vice president Lokesh Suji had the privilege of conducting the draws for the Esports titles, alongside AESF general secretary Sebastian Lau and AESF CEO Steve Kim.

    The country’s supremely talented EA Sports FC Online athletes Charanjot Singh (Charanjot12_) secured top seed at the South Asia seeding event for the tournament while his equally talented teammate Karman Singh (tikkatown) clinched fifth seed. Due to their seeding advantage, both athletes will kick off their campaigns from the Round of 32 stage with Charanjot squaring off against Liu Jiacheng of China and Karman facing A.A. Faqeehi of Bahrain in the Round of 32.

    A total of 36 athletes from 20 countries are participating in the well-renowned EA Sports FC Online title. All matches will be played in the Double Elimination and Best-of-Three (BO3) format

    Following the commencement of EA Sports FC Online’s fixtures, two of the country’s most distinguished Street Fighter V: Champion Edition athletes, Mayank Prajapati (MiKeYROG) and Ayan Biswas (AYAN01) will embark on their pursuit for a medal in their respective title on 26 September. In the seeding event for South and East Asia, Prajapati clinched fifth seed and Biswas secured sixth seed and will hence begin their campaign from the Round of 32 stage.

    In the Round of 32, Prajapati will go head to head against T.F. Rajikhan of Saudi Arabia while his teammate, Ayan Biswas, will be up against K.H.C Nguyen of Vietnam. The Street Fighter V: Champion Edition title will witness a total of 35 notable athletes from 22 countries battling it out for a historic medal. All matches will be conducted in the best-of-three (BO3) format and the loser bracket final and grand final will be played in a best-of-seven (BO7) format.

    The nation’s star-studded League of Legends team which is captained by Akshaj Shenoy (Kai), and comprises Samarth Arvind Trivedi (CrankO), Mihir Ranjan (Lotus), Sanindhya Malik (Deadcorp), Aakash Shandilya (Infi), Aditya Selvaraj (Krow) will begin its campaign on 27 September. As a result of dominating the recently held Central and South Asia seeding event and clinching top seed, the team has gained direct entry into the quarter-finals of the 19th Asian Games.

    The squad will face the winner of Group A comprising Japan, Palestine, and Vietnam in its tournament opener. The elimination stages will be played head-to-head in the BO3, single-elimination format. The continent’s 15 leading teams will be competing in League of Legends at the prestigious tournament.

    The country’s stellar DOTA 2 team led by Darshan Bata (A35), and comprising Krish Gupta (Krish-), Abhishek Yadav (Abhi-), Ketan Goyal (Evil-Ash), and Shubham Goli (Madness) has been drawn in Group A alongside Kyrgyzstan and Philippines. Both of their group matchups are scheduled to take place in the Best-of-One (BO1) single round robin format on 29 September.

    The group winner will take on Nepal in the elimination stages on September 30. All matches in the elimination stage will be contested in the head-to-head, BO3 single elimination format. There will be 14 notable DOTA 2 teams participating in the title.

    One of the country’s top sports and Esports communication agencies, Artsmith-Concepts & Visions, will continue its support to the Esports Federation of India as its official communication partner.

    Having been featured as a demonstration event in 2018, Esports will be making its full-fledged debut as an official medal sport at the Asian Games 2022 with a total of 476 athletes from 30 different countries competing for gold medals in seven different titles.

  • Asian Games 2022: India’s FIFA athletes depart for Hangzhou; Official draw for fixtures set to take place on 22 September

    Asian Games 2022: India’s FIFA athletes depart for Hangzhou; Official draw for fixtures set to take place on 22 September

    Mumbai: Poised to make their mark in one of the most prestigious multi-sport tournaments in the world, India’s FIFA stars S Charanjotingh and Karman Singh have departed for Hangzhou to compete in EA Sports FC Online at the upcoming Asian Games 2022 from 24 to 27 September.

    Having been featured as a demonstration event in 2018, Esports will be making its full-fledged debut as an official medal sport at the Asian Games 2022. The Esports event will be held in China Hangzhou Esports Centre from 24 September to 2 October, and the athletes will compete for gold medals in seven different titles.

    India, however, will be participating in four of the seven titles: DOTA 2, EA Sports FC Online, League of Legends, and Street Fighter V: Champion Edition. The official draw to determine the dates and opponents regarding the fixtures for all four titles will take place on 22 September.

    Expressing his feeling as the tournament approaches, Charanjot Singh said, “As the tournament draws nearer, it feels surreal that the dream of representing India at the Asian Games 2022 is finally becoming a reality. Both Karman and I have been training relentlessly to showcase our skills on this platform against the continent’s finest players. We are determined to make our country proud and bring home a historic medal.”

    The fixtures for EA Sports FC Online will be in the knockout format with the Grand Finals scheduled to be held on 27 September. A total of 34 athletes from 21 countries will battle it out for glory at the competition.

    “The Asian Games 2022 is a massive opportunity for Indian Esports to announce itself as a powerhouse on the global stage. I feel honored to be one of the first athletes carrying the nation’s flag at Esports’ maiden appearance as a medal sport at the tournament. We would like to thank ESFI for not just providing us with the opportunity to represent our country but also providing us with ample support including the best-in-class gaming gear to make sure we are ready to give our best in Hangzhou. We are ready to take on the tough competition and give our best to achieve success,” commented Karman Singh.

    Both athletes left their mark during the recently held seeding event for the Asian Games 2022, with Charanjot Singh securing the top seed in the South Asian region, while Karman Singh secured the fifth seed. The two athletes, who are renowned names in the global FIFA community, earned their places at the Asian Games 2022 by advancing to the finals of the National Esports Championships (NESC), organised by the Esports Federation of India (ESFI).

    “With the Asian Games 2022 just around the corner, we are excited to witness the performances of our talented athletes who have put in remarkable efforts to reach this stage. Charanjot and Karman have both performed brilliantly in the seeding event and we are confident that they will replicate those performances in the main event to ensure India bags not one but two medals in EA Sports FC Online. Everyone at ESFI wishes them the best of luck in their pursuit of glory,” said Esports Federation of India & vice president of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF) director Lokesh Suji.

    One of the country’s top sports & esports communication agencies, Artsmith-Concepts & Visions, will continue its support to the Esports Federation of India as their official communication partner.

    Following the commencement of EA Sports FC Online matches, the League of Legends fixtures will be held from 25 to 29 September, while the Street Fighter V: Champion Edition encounters are scheduled for 26 to 28 September. The DOTA 2 matchups are set to take place from 29 September to 2 October.