The photo taken on May 21, 2023 shows the scene of the Arena Of Valor Asian Games Version final at the "Charming Hangzhou" E-sports National Invitational Tournament in the Hangzhou E-sports Center. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)
With e-sports set to make its debut as a medal event in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, a few questions may be raised - What are the Asiad e-sports events? Will it join Olympic program? Here are some interesting facts about e-sports at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
HANGZHOU, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- As the only event that requires a lottery to purchase tickets, e-sports is likely to be one of the most popular and expensive events at the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games, with the highest ticket prices. However, many people still don't know how the sport's rules are formulated and what its content will be.
According to the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF), there will be seven gold medals up for grabs across seven games from September 24 to October 2 at the Hangzhou E-sports Center. These games include League of Legends, Arena Of Valor Asian Games Version, PUBG Mobile Asian Games Version, Dota 2, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, and FIFA Online 4.
It is reported that the Hangzhou Asian Games organizing committee and AESF have jointly consulted and formulated the technical aspects of e-sports events, such as the competition system and venue layouts.
The Road to the Asian Games tournament, organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF), is inaugurated in Macao, China on June 16, 2023 as qualifiers in the lead up to the Hangzhou Asian Games. (Xinhua/Zhang Jinjia)
Throughout the entire preparation process, a set of standardized norms applicable to e-sports events at the Asian Games has been established through collaboration with copyright holders, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), AESF, the Hangzhou Asian Games organizing committee and other relevant parties.
One of the decisions made is that special versions of Arena Of Valor and PUBG have been launched. Arena Of Valor Asian Games Version has especially selected and retained champions (in-game units) that athletes from different countries and regions have experience controlling, while PUBG has removed some violent elements, transforming it into a shooting and driving game. Additionally, both games have removed many commercial settings.
"Being allowed into the Asiad is a milestone, which will not only help e-sports further integrate into large-scale sports competitions but also promote its popularization and standardization," said Xiao Hong, CEO of Perfect World.
Participants compete during the cycling event at the 2023 Olympic E-Sports Week held in Singapore on June 23, 2023. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua)
Does being accepted by the Asian Games promote the progress of e-sports towards inclusion in the Olympics?
It is evident that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has frequently signaled its willingness to welcome e-sports this year, as the first Olympic e-sports week was held in Singapore in June.
The IOC also announced the establishment of a brand-new e-sports committee in September.
Although the IOC stated that there is a strict distinction between virtual sports and electronic sports, as virtual sports require participants' ability to play real sports, IOC president Thomas Bach had already provided an answer at a press conference in 2020: "Yes. It depends on when this day comes." ■
