The Global Esports Federation (GEF) and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) have announced that the upcoming 2022 Commonwealth Games will feature a pilot esports competition.
The Commonwealth Esports Championships will take place at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham in August 2022. This is the first time esports will appear at the Commonwealth Games.
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The event will feature esports athletes from across the Commonwealth, with the organisers announcing that ‘multi-genre global titles’ are to be played. No games have been announced at this time, however, The Daily Mail has mentioned Dota 2 as one of the possible games.
The esports championship is a result of the partnership between the GEF and the CGF that was announced in 2020. The Commonwealth Esports Championships will be held at the same time as the Commonwealth Games but will have separate branding, medals, organisation and governance.
Prior to the Commonwealth Games, both entities have also announced the ‘Commonwealth Esports Forum’, a global esports conference supported by the British Esports Association.
Exploring esports is one of the recommendations outlined in the new Commonwealth Sport 2026/30 Strategic Roadmap. According to the announcement, the organisers hope that the new event will engage a new audience and enable the Commonwealth Sport Movement to further explore the potential of esports.
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Dame Louise Martin, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation said: “Commonwealth Esports Championships provides an excellent opportunity to pilot esports close to the Commonwealth Games. This will allow us to review the long-term relationship between the Commonwealth Games and esports as we continue to evolve and explore future editions of our event and what they could look like.
“I would like to thank the Global Esports Federation for their partnership with this exciting event, including the British Esports Association and the Business and Tourism Programme, who will help us bring this concept to life.
Esports Insider says: The Commonwealth Games are an extremely popular event, and the inclusion of esports is a landmark deal for the industry. If the esports competition proves to be popular, this might open the door for more esports in global sporting events and more recognition for the industry.