COMMONWEALTH GAMING
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COMMONWEALTH GAMING The Commonwealth Games Federation has opted to embrace esports at a time when gaming’s place among more traditional sports remains up for debate. Eliott Brennan discovers that Birmingham is positioning itself as an esports capital.
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he Global Esports Federation is due to reach a major landmark in August when the eyes of the Commonwealth turn to esports for the first time in history. The inaugural Commonwealth Esports Forum and Commonwealth Esports Championships, both of which are due to be held at the International Convention Centre, will run alongside the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as separate events.
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Paul Foster, the chief executive of the GEF, explained that the Forum, scheduled to be held first on August 5, will open the celebrations with people from across the community gathering to discuss the future of esports as well as the role it has in society. Topics covered will stretch from health and well-being to youth and education. Several keynote speeches and a series of panel discussions are also expected to dive into varying topics, such as what esports means to the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the players. Attention is also expected to be drawn to the place of esports in business, innovation and technology. The Championships will take place across the following two days and, according to Foster, as many as 27 countries and roughly 250 athletes could take part. The competition will be independent of the Birmingham 2022 sporting programme, meaning it will have its own branding and medals. Dota 2, the eFootball series and Rocket League have been confirmed as the games
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for the Championships, with each title featuring an open and a women’s category. None of this would have been possible without the signing of a strategic partnership between the GEF and the Commonwealth Games Federation in May 2020, which laid the foundation for the Forum and Championships to be staged. It is hoped that the inaugural occasion will offer the chance for esports to stamp its ground, while making waves of impact and establishing a formidable legacy. Foster said he hopes the events will create a “closer understanding” between esports and those who may remain sceptical of its place among other more traditional disciplines. “I remember a time, maybe even a year or so ago, where we used to talk about sport and esports as two different universes almost,” he said. “What we have realised during the pandemic, where we have been forced to come together and connect, is this notion that we are more similar than different. “As humans we are not single tasked people. We like to do lots of different things.
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