The International Esports Federation (IESF) has announced a partnership with GIRLGAMER Esports Festival, a competitive esports event focused on celebrating women.
GIRLGAMER and IESF will work together to develop the first edition of a women’s CS:GO tournament at the World Esports Championship later this year in Indonesia.
The IESF, a global esports federation, runs the World Esports Championship, its flagship event set to culminate in December 2022 in Indonesia. The World Esports Championships features national teams in different esports titles, ranging from CS:GO to Dota 2 to fighting games.
GIRLGAMER and IESF said they would “work together to further cement values such as diversity and inclusion” within esports.
IESF also mentioned in a release that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Women in Games (WIG), a non-profit organisation focused on creating an equal and safe environment for women in gaming.
The IESF did not announce further details about the qualifiers or prize pool for the female CS:GO tournament. However, the overall World Esports Championship prize pool is $500,000 (~£373,000), which will be distributed across six games: PUBG Mobile, Dota 2, CS:GO, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and Tekken 7.
The prize pool for this year is significantly larger than in 2021, when it stood at $55,000 (~£41,000).
IESF Secretary General Boban Totovski commented: “We are thrilled to be working with GIRLGAMER to continue expanding competitive opportunities for women in esports.
Hosting the first CS:GO Tournament at the World Esports Championships Finals will be a historic moment for the entire World Esports Family and we can’t wait to work on even more initiatives together to create a more inclusive World Esports Family for generations to come.”
