NEW DELHI: The National Esports Championships 2022 (NESC ’22) kickstarted Monday as the Esports Federation of India (ESFI) will be selecting the Indian contingent for the upcoming 2022 Asian Games.
Under the ‘AESF Road to Asian Games’ program, the NESC ’22 is being conducted for five popular Esports titles — DOTA 2, Hearthstone, FIFA22, Street Fighter V, and League of Legends.
More than 200 top esports athletes registered from all over India and the tournament will go on till April 24. Esports has been added as a medal sport at the 2022 Asian Games for the first time as the best performers of the NESC ’22 will get the opportunity to represent the country at the prestigious multi-nation event.
NESC ’22 is being conducted online with top athletes from across the country competing and showcasing their skills and strategies.
DOTA 2 and League of Legends has 13 and four teams participating respectively, with veteran athletes like Jeet Rajesh Kundra, Moin Ejaz and Samarth Trivedi competing.
On the other hand, single-player titles Hearthstone, FIFA22, Street Fighter V has 13, 60 and 16 athletes competing respectively as top stars including Tirth Mehta (Hearthstone), Siddh Chandarana and Lokmanyu (FIFA22) and Aditya Verma (SFV) will look to seal themselves Asian Games berth.
Tirth Mehta, who had clinched a Bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games, where Esports was played as a demonstration event, commented: “I am really excited for the NESC ’22. I know all of us have been practicing and preparing at our best, and I am sure that whoever goes on to represent India at the Asian Games will aim for a podium finish this time.”
