Fighting for national honor
China sent the nation’s best gamers to Jakarta to secure a pair of gold medals in the e-sports competition at the Asian Games.
Although some were already world champions, the challenge was not easy — and came at a cost to their professional careers.
China’s Arena of Valor squad sacrificed the most en route to pocketing the first e-sports gold ever awarded at an Asiad.
Although AoV has been known as the international version of China’s homegrown hit King of Glory and team members are the top players from different clubs in the China King Pro League (KPL), the squad faced an uphill battle.
The international form of AoV is a modified version of that played in the KPL, so Team China’s experts had to stop training with the domestic version for months.
“I was preparing for the Championship Cup of the KPL, but I was selected to the national team for the Asian Games,” said Wang Tianlong, aka Alan.
“Before the qualification round of the Asiad, I only got one week to get used to the AoV version.
“I was thinking that if I cannot prove myself in the Championship Cup, I would prove myself at the Asian Games. On the other hand, it’s for our nation. It’s a matter of national duty and responsibility.
“E-sports shares the same spirit of competition as traditional sports. We all did it for our nation. The other thing that I want to prove is that professional e-sports is very different from the usual gaming. The gold medal is the best gift for all of our pro players.”
After these Games, many of the team members will return to their original clubs. Although it will take time to regain their momentum in the KPL, Wang said “their legend and legacy will live on”.
China’s gold-winning League of Legends squad faced its strongest challenge from Team South Korea.
Both teams boast world champion LOL players and the two had faced each other countless times in professional showdowns. Before the start of the final, many believed China could not win because it had lost twice to the Koreans in the group stage.
With the emergence of more world-class clubs in China, professional teams have been challenging South Korea’s dominance, especially in May when China’s Royal Never Give Up was crowned world champion at the LOL Mid-Season Invitational in Paris.
To give the national squad a better chance to win, the seven-man national team boasts four RNG players, including current world champion Jian Zihao, aka Uzi.
“Now I don’t feel the South Korea team is so formidable, because we have defeated them many times in international tournaments,” said Jian.
“Although we didn’t have enough time to prepare for the Games, we still showed our capability.
“The Asian Games is very special to me. It’s unimaginable, especially when we arrived and saw all the other sportsmen from traditional sports. It’s an honor for me to stand and live with them.”
Kenneth Fok, president of the Asian Electronic Sports Federation, was as thrilled as those gamers because the victory reminded him of some of the best moments in his wife’s career as a diving athlete.
“The last time I cried when I watched a sports event was in 2008 when I watched my wife Guo Jingjing won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics,” said Fok who shed tears again when China’s LOL players beat their South Korean rivals.
“I was truly excited, because South Korea is a very strong team. I was so nervous. It’s not easy for our boys to win.”
IOC President Thomas Bach said that the Olympics and e-sports share at least two values — “passion and excellence”.
E-sports offers a natural appeal for the IOC, which is looking for a younger audience and revenue.