ESFI & INOX join hands to promote e-sports ahead of Asian Games

The partners also launched the Road to Asian Games program to help athletes prepare for the mega event.

The Esports Federation of India and INOX Leisure Ltd have joined hands to create awareness about e-sports in India. The partnership will see INOX help and train the Indian team for the Asian Games 2022.

INOX will provide training opportunities, streaming of live e-sports events and offer a talent scouting platform for future global events. They will also have the exclusive rights of hosting and promoting ESFI tournaments across the country.

It will not be the first time that INOX will partner with an official sports governing body. The multiplex chain has partnered with various organizations to promote many sporting events across a wide range of sports. INOX's long-established partnership with the Indian Olympic Association is the highlight of their contribution.

The CEO speaks

“We are thrilled to bring the action of e-sports to the cinemas of INOX in collaboration with Esports Federation of India, who has been working relentlessly to grow Indian e-sports and together make e-sports a mainstream sporting activity in India. Our cinemas are present at highly urbane and youth-centric locations, servicing the entertainment needs of a predominantly young population in an unmatched ambience equipped with advanced cinema technology. We believe this advantage, coupled with all our marketing capabilities, will help us popularize e-sports at a much faster pace in our country," Alok Tandon, Chief Executive Officer, INOX Leisure Ltd commented.

Keeping the efforts of training the Indian team in mind, they revealed the Road to Asian Games (RDAG) program. It is the official e-sports program, jointly created by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF). This program will be effective from the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 and promises to extend beyond Doha 2030.

RDAG programme

RDAG will help find national teams for the eight medal events at the Asian Games for e-sports. They will then train and prepare them for the 19th continental showpiece. The players will get coaches arranged by IESF and AESF. They will also have psychological and mental training and health sessions, along with physical fitness sessions.

The RDAG program will help the Indian team fully prepare for the mega event. This will be through weekly practice matches until the final day of the Asian Games event. They will also play friendlies with the other national teams.

“With the introduction of e-sports as a medal event in the 2022 Asian Games and demonstrative event at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in the latter half of the year, it is overwhelming to see how corporates are now coming forward and supporting e-sports. As a player, such backing gives us a sense of assurance that the ecosystem will continue to strengthen and we as e-sports players will be benefiting from such associations,” Tirth Mehta, the only e-sports medalist for India from the Jakarta Asian Games quipped.

The eight medal events in e-sports at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2022 are DOTA 2, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, FIFA, Hearthstone, League of Legends, Street Fighter V, Arena of Valor and PUBG Mobile.

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