E-sports to be medal sport at 2022 Asian Games

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E-sports to be medal sport at 2022 Asian Games

Posted : 2017-04-19 18:25

Updated : 2017-04-19 18:28

A total of 5,000 spectators pack the Jamsil Indoor Stadium to watch the final match of the online game "League of Legends" on Aug. 20, 2016. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) announced Monday it has closed a partnership with Ali Sports, a subsidiary of Alibaba Group, to add e-sports as an official sport of the 2022 Asian Games. / Courtesy of Riot Games

By Baek Byung-yeul

E-sports, or online game competitions, will become a medal event at the 2022 Asian Games.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) announced Monday it has closed a partnership with Ali Sports, a subsidiary of Alibaba Group, to add e-sports as an official sport of the 2022 event, which will be held in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.

The OCA also said e-sports will be featured at next year's Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang in Indonesia as a demonstration sport.

Alisports, which was established by the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group in 2015, will cooperate with the OCA in developing e-sports marketing.

"The Olympic Council of Asia has constantly been committed to the heritage, development and improvement of Asian sports, and we are extremely pleased about the strategic partnership with Alisports," OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah said in a statement.

"We look forward to further collaborations with Alisports in regards to digital sports concepts along with sporting events."

E-sports events have been contested at the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG), the second-largest multi-sport event in Asia after the Asian Games. But this is first time for e-sports to be included in the Asian Games.

The OCA said online games such as FIFA 2017, multiplayer online battle arena-type games and real-time attack-type games, will be contested at the fifth AIMAG in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, in September.

baekby@ktimes.com