Recently representatives from the Esports Federation of India (ESFI) shared a table with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President to discuss plans in relation to India’s participation at the RDAG 2022 and Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games.
Following the meeting, the ESFI announced its participation in the Asian Electronic Sports Federation’s (AESF) ‘Road to Asian Games’ (RDAG) program which is the AESF’s initiative to streamline the qualification and National Team Selection processes for all participating countries.
As part of the drive to help to grow Esports in India, joining the RDAG program is a significant step in the right direction towards elevating the status of Esports in the country.
The RDAG program has been jointly created by AESF and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to help National Olympic Councils (NOC) and Esports Member Associations (MA) prepare for the upcoming Esports Final at the 2022 Asian Games. RDAG program will lend administrative, financial, technical, and general support to all participating countries/regions with the goal of building a thriving Esports ecosystem. The program peaks with the RDAG Regionals, a thrilling regional multi-title Esports tournament, and there will be the region’s best and brightest players to fight it out to determine the final seedings for the Esports Final in Hangzhou, China PR.
Commenting on the announcement, ESFI President Vinod Kumar said “ESFI is committed to the development of Esports and bringing together the Esports fraternity to unlock the full potential of our athletes and provide them with enough international opportunities to compete with their counterparts at an equal level.”
“We are very thankful to the President of IOA Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra ji for appraising ESFI and other non-Olympic sports federations on the various organizational aspects of the Asian Games, to be staged later this year,” said Lokesh Suji, Vice-President of AESF and Director of ESFI.
“The AESF Road to Asian Games 2022 will prove to be a milestone journey and act as a catalyst in not only the growth of the esports ecosystem in India but also the recognition of Esports as a form of sports in India. On ESFI’s end, we are fully committed to growing the Esports ecosystem and creating enough opportunities for the Indian Esports athletes to participate in the various such events of repute,” he added.
Following its debut at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta as part of the demonstration games program, Esports finally steps up as a medal event at this year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Eight games will be contested namely, PUBG Mobile Asian Games Edition, DOTA 2, League of Legends, Hearthstone, FIFA, Street Fighter V, Arena of Valor Asian Games Edition, and Dream of the Three Kingdoms 2.
As the event approaches, AESF is excited to collaborate and support NOCs and MAs to ensure each country/region will send its best representative to the Regionals and subsequently the Esports Final in Hangzhou. Together we’re working towards a future where Esports athletes can compete on the same level and with the same support as athletes from traditional sports.
