Athletes are forging ahead on the "Road to Asian Games"

Hong Kong, June 12, 2018: Excitement is building up since the announcement of esports being a demonstration event in the 18th Asian Games. A total of 27 Asian countries and regions with over 300 athletes will be joining the esports Asian qualifiers this June.

Hong Kong, being the host city for the East Asia Offline Regional Qualifier, welcomed teams from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Korea and Chinese Taipei at the Emperor Esports Arena to contest for quarterfinal berths for the region.

The other offline qualifiers is taking place in Ho Chi Minh Vietnam and results are expected by the end of June.

At the press conference today, Mr. Kenneth K.K. Fok, JP, President of Asian Electronic Sports Federation ("AESF") said, "AESF will be strongly supporting the development of esports industry through promoting esports professionalization. We also strive for bringing esports to the official stage of the Olympic Games in future and elevating its popularity among global citizens.

Esports was generally regarded as a leisure activity in the past, but it has since evolved into a real sport that emphasizes intelligence, strategy, reaction and teamwork. Unlike traditional video games, there are specific rules of competition, professional equipment and venues for esports. As the demonstration sport for Jakarta Palembang 2018, it represents a big leap for esports and lays a solid foundation for its official inclusion in Hangzhou 2022.

"Inclusion of esports in the Asian Games also means huge economic potential," Mr Fok added. "The HKSAR government sees the future in esports. In the 2018-2019 budget, the government announced a HK$100 million fund allocation to support esports development through providing venue to esports competitions, technological support for industry development and talent training. With economic value and development potential, esports will not only generate considerable economic benefits through ticket sales, sponsorship, advertising, as well as live and relay broadcast, etc., but also a catalyst for related industries such as software development and computer hardware production.

"Hong Kong has a unique geographical location and ancillary facilities in the Asian region, which is absolutely conducive to the development of electronic devices and leads the economic development."

AESF is an OCA-recognized individual sports association in Asia and an entity to promote esports across the region.

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