OCA announces titles for Hangzhou Asian Games esports competition

The Olympic Council of Asia has announced the titles for the debut of esports as an official medal sport at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in September 2022.

There will be eight medal events, plus two demonstration games, reflecting the popularity and growth of electronic sports in China and Asia. The announcement of the games titles was made on the first day of the two-day Chefs de Mission Seminar video conference for the 19th Asian Games on Wednesday, September 8.

The Director General of the OCA, Mr Husain Al-Musallam, said:

“We hope that this announcement allows all participating teams ample time to prepare and equip themselves ahead of the qualifying stages.”

“I believe we have ticked all the right boxes ensuring a high level of competition which promises great viewing for enthusiasts and casuals alike.”

“We at the OCA are looking forward to working closely with our friends at the Asian Electronic Sports Federation and the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee to ensure a successful execution of the esports event at the 2022 Asian Games.”

The Asian Electronic Sports Federation, which is based in Hong Kong, China, has been appointed Technical Delegate of the esports competition at the 19th Asian Games by the OCA. The AESF will be in charge of the qualifying competition and for the operation and management of the esports competition in Hangzhou.

The eight official events, and publisher, are:

1. Arena of Valor Asian Games Version

2. Dota 2

3. Dream Three Kingdoms 2

4. EA SPORTS FIFA branded soccer games

5. HearthStone

6. League of Legends

7. PUBG Mobile Asian Games Version

8. Street Fighter V

The two demonstration events are:

1. AESF Robot Masters-Powered by Migu
2. AESF VR Sports-Powered by Migu

Esports was added to the Asian Games sports programme at the OCA General Assembly in Muscat, Oman on December 16, 2020. It was a demonstration sport at the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia in 2018, meaning that medals did not count in the official medal rankings.