E-sports listed as medal sport at upcoming Asian Games Hangzhou

E-sports will be an official medal sport at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, the organizers announced at the news conference held at 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai.

According to the organizers, the e-sports competition will feature the following games: Arena of Valor Asian Games Version, Dota 2, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, EA SPORTS FIFA branded soccer games, HearthStone, League of Legends, PUBG Mobile Asian Games Version, and Street Fighter V.

"It is of great significance to add e-sports as an official event in the Asian Games," said Zhu Qinan, director of the competition department of the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 Organizing Committee.

"We hope to take the advantage of hosting the Asian Games to promote the development of the e-sports, digital and animation industries in Hangzhou," he added

Apart from e-sports, other games popular with the young generation such as break dancing and 3-on-3 basketball have also been included in the Games.

"Adding these events would make more young people pay attention to and enjoy the Asian Games, further enhance the overall influence of the Games and drive more people to participate in sports activities," Zhu explained.

Set to take place from Sept 10 to 25 next year, the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 will feature 40 major sports, 61 events, and 482 sub-events.