The Esports Federation of India (ESFI), has joined hands with MPL Sports Foundation and sportswear brand from Bata, Power ahead of the 13th Esports World Championship. Following this association, it will be a major boost for the esports industry in the country, as both the brands are going to support the Indian team participating in the finals.
The Indian esports team participating in the Championship will be competing for national pride. While the second reason would be the USD 50,000 prize pool. The championship will be consisting of four official games which include, DOTA 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Tekken & and eFootball 2022, and there would be one promoted title, Audition.
The event will be starting from November 16 and will conclude after four days on the 20th. While there would be a seven-member Indian team participating in three gaming categories. The CS: GO team consists of five members, skipper Ritesh Sarda, Shuvajyoti Chakraborty, Anshul Adarkar, Hrishikesh Shenoy, and Ninad Sonare. While the Tekken 7 athlete is Hitesh Khorwal and eFootball 2022 athlete is Hemanth Kommu.
Speaking on the occasion, Vinod Kumar Tiwari, President, Esports Federation of India said: “We are pleased to have MPL Sports Foundation and Power as title sponsor and sneaker partner respectively for our gamers who are participating in a prestigious tournament like the World Championship. It is very heartening and encouraging to see these gamers with diverse backgrounds representing India at the biggest stage in the world and I hope we will be able to win medals and bring glory for the country.”
Adding to it, Sai Srinivas, Trustee, MPL Sports Foundation said: “Our aim with the MPL Sports Foundation is to democratise opportunities in esports and make it more accessible to our vastly talented youth. In line with this commitment, we are honoured to partner with the Esports Federation of India (ESFI) to support our athletes who will represent India at the 13th Esports World Championship. We hope that this is the beginning of along-standing partnership with ESFI which has been doing stellar work in building and developing the esports ecosystem in India.”
Lastly, Mr. Gunjan Shah, MD & CEO, Bata added: “As a consumer centric brand, Bata has always focused on the emerging and popular trends among the youth. The growth story of esports in India, augmented by the boom induced in the last 2 years, has been very intriguing. Today, youth is a large part of any successful brand’s journey and this platform is a great way to engage with them. We are excited to have partnered with the Esports Federation of India as sponsors for the upcoming 13th Esports World Championship happening in Israel that caters to and engages hugely with this segment. We look forward to this collaboration as we move ahead in this partnership to promote esports amidst the Indian sport fan base. We look forward to this collaboration as we increase our sneaker portfolio with brands like Power & North Star relevant for the youth.”
The teams have reached the final stage after competing in a series of regional rounds, South Asian rounds, and the Asia qualifiers. While seven countries from Asia have advanced to the world stage, which includes India.