MUMBAI: Esports Federation of India (ESFI) on Monday launched the “Road to Asian Games” program during a partnership announcement with the country’s leading Multiplex chain INOX Leisure Ltd to select the Indian team for the continental event and provide them comprehensive training ahead of the Hangzhou event, where the sport will make its debut as a medal event.
India’s only medallist in the multisport event, Tirth Mehta, is eyeing a podium finish in Hangzhou and to best prepare the country’s Esports contingent for the multi-sport event, INOX Leisure Ltd and ESFI have joined hands to coach and train the Indian team as well as promote Esports across the country, creating an excitement and buzz around the sport.
Keeping this in mind, the “Road to Asian Games” program has been launched which will run from March 20 till April 10, when the Indian team will be finalised through multiple competitive tournaments.
“With the introduction of Esports 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 Esports, which was a rarity until a few years back. As a player, such backing gives us a sense of assurance that the ecosystem will continue to strengthen and we as a esports players will be benefiting from such associations,” Mehta said during an event announcing the partnership between INOX and ESFI on Monday.
The online training will be provided by reputed coaches of International Esports Federation (IESF) and Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF).
The program will be a great opportunity for the likes of Mehta, who won a Bronze medal in Hearthstone at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta when Esports was a demonstration event as he eyes to finish on the podium in Hangzhou.
INOX has been intrinsically supporting Indian sports through various collaborations, with the most notable being with their longstanding partnership with Indian Olympic Association. Now, with a goal to revolutionise Esports landscape in India, INOX & ESFI together aims to take esports to masses using INOX cinemas as venues for hosting esports tournaments, streaming of live competitions, provide training opportunities and offer a talent scouting platform for future global events.
ESFI, which is a recognised member of the AESF, the sole governing body for Esports in Asia and recognised by Olympic Council of Asia, believes this partnership will enable them to reach smaller cities and unearth Esports talents by hosting city tournaments and building various Esports IPs in order to intensify growth of Esports not just at elite but also at grassroots level.
