eSports will be an Official Sport at the 2022 Asian Games in
Hangzhou
HANGZHOU, China, April 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alisports Group
(Alisports), the comprehensive sports platform provider, has
announced a strategic partnership with the Olympic Council of
Asia (OCA). Through this
collaboration, the two will work together to bring Electronic
Sports (eSports), or video games, to the official sports program of
the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou,
introducing this emerging class of competition into the field of
traditional sports.
Apart from the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, eSports has also been
added to the 2017 Ashgabat Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG), and the 2018 Jakarta
Asian Games. Leveraging its expertise in eSports promotion and
event organization, Alisports, as OCA's strategic partner, will be
an active participator in helping expand the market for games
organized by the association.
OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al
Sabah, said, "The Olympic Council of Asia is committed to the heritage, development
and improvement of Asian sports, and we are extremely pleased about
the strategic partnership with Alisports. We are sure that the
extensive organizing capabilities of Alisports, and their
experience in eSports, will assist OCA in developing all
sports."
According to OCA, eSports to be contested at the 2017 AIMAG this
September will include FIFA 2017, Multiplayer Online Battle Arena
(MOBA) and Real Time Attack (RTA) gaming types. These are the most
popular gaming types among global eSports players and were
incorporated into the World Electronic Sports Games (WESG), which
was launched by Alisports last year and attracted players from over
100 countries.
Alisports actively promotes eSports and has a long-term goal of
introducing these digital competitions into venues and events that
have long been showcases for "traditional" sports. Zhang Dazhong,
Founder & CEO of Alisports said, "It's our pleasure to work
with OCA and we would like to thank them for their faith in
Alisports. In the future, we will work closely together to develop
new modes of developing big games and events, and to provide
sponsors with more opportunities and value. We look forward to
presenting more exciting video game competitions to not only
eSports lovers but also a global audience."
Zhang added that he expects eSports to eventually be featured at
the Olympic Games, as digital games tournaments are being more
professionally organized, and their competitions more accepted as
mainstream entertainment. "It's only a matter of time," he
said.
About The Olympic Council of Asia
The Olympic Council of Asia
(OCA) is the governing body that oversees all sports in
Asia. It is one of the five
continental associations recognized by the IOC.
OCA was formed in 1982 and has its permanent headquarters in
Kuwait. The main objective of OCA
is to develop sport, culture and the education of Asian youth as
well as to promote international respect, friendship, goodwill
& peace through sports.
About Alisports Group
Alisports Group (Alisports), founded in 2015 as Alibaba Sports
Group by the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, integrates
e-commerce, media, marketing, video, home entertainment, cloud
computing and other Internet-enabled technologies to form a sports
platform that participates in different aspects of the professional
sports industry, including sports copyrights, sports media, events,
ticketing, and more.
Alisports leverages Alibaba Group's vast e-commerce ecosystem,
media resources and deep experience with China's new media and sports sectors to create
an Internet-based, consumer-centric sports platform that creates
value for sports industry participants and enhances consumers and
sports fans' engagement with teams and brands.
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