National eSports team sponsored by Dialog Gaming to represent Sri Lanka at Asian Games 2018
eSports athletes representing Sri Lanka are set to take part in the 18th Asian Games which are to be held in Indonesia from August 18 to September 2. The Sri Lankan contingent, sponsored by Dialog Gaming, includes ten athletes who will be competing across five eSports titles in the South Asian qualifiers leading up to the main event.
eSports has been introduced as a demonstration event for this year’s Asian Games by the organisers, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) following its recognition as a sports activity by the International Olympic Committee ( IOC) last November. eSports will be a medal event at the 2022 Asian Games. The Asian Games is recognised by the IOC as the world’s second- largest multi-sport competition held every four years with the 18th Asian Games - hosted by the Indonesia Asian Games Orga n i s i n g Committee (INASGOC), set to feature 40 sports across 462 events and 45 participating nations.
Sri Lanka’s eSports athletes taking part in the respective eSports titles are as follows: League of Legends: Akthar Hafeez, Shalitha Chandrarathna, Ashik Saleeth, Achintha Konara, Hilal Jismy, Abith Latiff; Hearthstone: Ramesh Uthayakumar; Pro Evolution Soccer ( PES): Mufeed Miskin, Shihab Rizan; Starcraft 2: Amruth Alfred and Clash Royale: Joel Joung. All are young and aspiring enthusiasts who are attached to Higher Education Institutes.
Sri Lanka’s participation has been organised by the Sri Lanka eSports Association ( SLeSA), the governing body for eSports in Sri Lanka consisting of nine eSports organisations. SLeSA has worked closely with the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka and under the guidance of the Ministry of Sports, to nominate these athletes who will be making history by taking part in eSports at the 2018 Asian Games. The South Asian qualifiers are organised by the developer of each eSports title in partnership with the Asian Electronic Sports Federation ( AeSF), the first of which will be the League of Legends qualifiers that will take place from June 9 to 12 in Vietnam.
Dialog Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka’s first connectivity provider to launch a mobile gaming platform, aims to empower the local pro-gaming community by powering cyber athletes to represent Sri Lanka in the Asian Games 2018. Recognising the potential and growth for cyber athletes in the country, Dialog continues to spearhead eSports and support the community to challenge global gamers on international platforms.
Commenting on Dialog’s vision to power eSports in Sri Lanka Supun Jayasinghe ( Product Manager - Gaming Services), Dialog Axiata PLC said, “Dialog Gaming’s vision is to create the No.1 gaming experience and propel the future of eSports in the country. As the main sponsor of the teams, we hope to provide opportunity for talent within the country.”
He added, “Dialog Gaming currently connects Sri Lankans to the largest mobile gaming platform, and we are certain the future of esports will be a cyber athlete receiving an equivalent recognition to that of an athlete.”
“Sri Lankan eSports has seen tremendous growth over the years with youth from all across the island playing and watching more than 15 ranked tournaments annually. We have worked hand in hand with the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka who has given us strong support in making our representation at the Asian Games a reality. We look forward to showcasing our eSports talent on an international stage at this year’s Asian Games,” said SLeSA President Raveen Wijayatilake in a statement.
“We will have to qualify from South Asia. There is only one berth available and fingers- crossed we will be able to get that spot. I’m sure we have the talent to achieve this goal. We will be strongly promoting eSports and it will be a good opportunity for our kids to find about what competitive team-based gaming is all about,” said Maxwell de Silva, Secretary General, National Olympic Committee.
eSports, largely considered as one of the fastest growing sports in the country has been carefully nurtured and groomed over the past decade by Gamer.LK who has led the initiative to promote eSports across the island by organising events such as the Sri Lanka Cyber Games in Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Matara and Jaffna as well.
Sri Lanka has been a member of the Inter national eSpor t s Federation ( IeSF) who recently announced that they are in discussion with the International Olympic Committee regarding the introduction of eSports as a title at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The IeSF says its aim is to ‘ work consistently to promote eSport as a true sport beyond language, race and cultural barriers.’