India will be participating in four events in Esports at the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou. The games are scheduled to be held from September 23-October 8, and Esports is set to make its debut as a medal sport. The Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) introduced the official events and the competition mechanism for the Esports Programme at the Games.
A 15-member Indian team will take part in DOTA 2, FIFA Online 4, League of Legends, and Street Fighter V: Champion Edition disciplines. The team includes Charanjot Singh, Karman Singh Tikka, Mayank Prajapati, Ayan Biswas, Akshaj Shenoy (captain), Samarth Arvind Trivedi, Mihir Ranjan, Aditya Selvaraj, Aakash Shandilya, Sanindhya Malik, Darshan (captain), Krish, Abhishek, Ketan, and Shubham.
Hearthstone was removed from the programme and will no longer be featured in the Asian Games. India had won a bronze medal in the 2018 edition of the Asian Games in Indonesia, with Tirth Mishra finishing third in Hearthstone. India will not participate in sports disciplines Arena of Valor and PUBG Mobile Asian Games Version as they are banned in India, while the title Dream Three Kingdoms 2 is not available in the country.
Lokesh Suji, Director of the Esports Federation of India & Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF), expressed his thoughts on the official introduction of Esports titles and competition mechanism at the 19th Asian Games. The days we once dreamt of for Indian Esports are now finally here. Esports taking centre stage at the Asian Games is the dawn of a new era for competitive gaming and we urge the entire country to witness it. Our talented athletes are fully prepared to triumph in this life-changing championship, turning their dreams into reality, he said.
