The Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) has started counting down to the 2022 Asian Games when esports will make its multi-sport debut as a medal sport.
The Road to Asian Games 2022 (RDAG), co-created by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Asian Esports Federation (AESF), will assist National Olympic Committees (NOCs) in preparing for the sport’s debut at the Games next year, as well as future Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya 2026, Doha 2030, and Riyadh 2034.
This announcement kicks off a vibrant RDAG 2022 campaign that will run through the Asian Games in September 2022. The AESF announced two steps of selection under the Road to Asian Games banner, consisting of the National Team Selection and a Regional Competition, both run sequentially between January and June 2022, to determine the final teams and seeding mechanics to compete in the Asian Games.
The Korean eSports Association proudly presented the first official launch of the ‘RDAG’ in the Korea e-Sports Hall of Fame, as one of the world’s premier Esports nations. The ‘RDAG’ Launch event was welcomed with support and attention from members of the Olympic Council of Asia and Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, with so much history and success of Korean Esports represented in the e-Sports Hall of Fame.
In the opening remarks, OCA Sports Director Haider Farman said, “This campaign is an important milestone not only for esports but also for the development of sports. have. Through close cooperation with the AESF and each regional federation, we will actively cooperate for the successful operation of the tournament, such as selection of national teams, seed allocation, draws, and draws.”
The Hong Kong-based AESF has 20 member associations that have been recognized by their respective NOCs. A further nine countries are not recognized by their NOC, while six countries are awaiting AESF membership.
As part of the RDAG initiative, countries are urged to join the AESF as member associations, and the AESF has announced that it would conduct regional esports events in Central Asia, West Asia, East Asia, West Asia, and Southeast Asia to help the sport grow across the continent.