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  • Oct 09, 2023
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Esports in Asian Games (Hangzhou)

Relevance

  • GS Paper  2 Government Policies & Interventions, Sports & Affairs.
  • Tags: #AsianGames #Esports #AsianGames2023 #19thAsianGamesHangzhouChina

Why in the news?

  • India has won 672 medals at the Asian Games since the inaugural edition in 1951. India finished with a record haul in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
  • Esports officially debuted as an official event at the Asian Games 2023 (in Hangzhou, China), featuring seven top titles, including League of Legends, and involving teams from over 30 countries.
  • The competition included both PC and mobile games, covering multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) and single-player genres. Gold medals were awarded for each game.

What is Esports?

Esports, short for electronic sports, refers to organized competitive video gaming. It involves individuals or teams competing in various video games at a professional level, often in tournaments with significant prizes.

More about Esports

  • Esports was previously featured as a demonstration sport at the Jakarta Asian Games (2018) and proved highly popular.
  • Esports inclusion in the Olympics remains uncertain, with concerns about violent or discriminatory content in some games.
  • Notably, winning a gold medal in esports at the Asian Games could exempt South Korean players from compulsory military service.

What are the types of online gaming?

  • E-sports(well-organized electronic sports which include professional players).
  • Fantasy sports.
  • Casual games, these can be either skill-based (mental skill) or chance-based (based on a random activity like a roll of a dice) online games.

Asian Games

  • The Asian Games, also known as the Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years.
  • The Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympics.
  • The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) organizes the Games involving 45 countries or regions.
  • The 19th Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, China (September 23 – October 8).
  • The 18th Asian Games were held in Indonesia in 2018.

Background

  • The Asian Games were first held in 1951, shortly after the end of World War II.
  • These games were supported by the first prime minister of India, Nehru, who wanted to restore ties between war-torn Asian countries and promote eternal peace in Asia through sports.
  • The first games were held in New Delhi and 11 countries participated, including Japan.

India as a Host

  • India is a founder member of Asian Games and also the host of the first Asian Games.
  • The 9th edition of the Asian Games was also held in New Delhi in November and December 1982.
  • Appu, the Indian elephant, was the first mascot to be used for the Asian Games.

19th Asian Games Hangzhou, China

  • A total of 40 sports and 61 disciplines will take center stage across 54 competition venues in Hangzhou and five co-host cities.
  • Competitions in archery, artistic swimming, boxing, breaking, hockey, modern pentathlon, sailing, tennis, and water polo will also serve as Olympic qualifiers, with Paris 2024 quota spots available in those nine sports.
  • The mascots of the 19th Asian Games are a group of robots named: Chenchen, Congcong, Lianlaian.
  • The torch of the 19th Asian Games is named “Eternal Flame”. The design was inspired by the Liangzhu Culture of ancient Chinese Civilisation
  • Esports and Breaking (Breakdance) are scheduled to make their inaugural appearances as recognized and official sporting events.

Source: The Hindu

Mains Question

What are e-sports, discuss its significance wrt to Asian Games and also discuss the challenges India is facing in sports and ways to improve them.