The Indian League of Legends team that will be representing the nation in the 19th Asian Games 2023, has departed for Macau to lock horns against Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan to determine the seeding for the prestigious tournament in Hangzhou.
The proficient unit led by captain Akshaj Shenoy, and comprising star athletes Samarth Arvind Trivedi, Mihir Ranjan, Aditya Selvaraj, Aakash Shandilya, and Sanindhya Malik will take on Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan on 21 June before going head to head against Kyrgyzstan on 22 June.
The five-man team demonstrated exceptional skills to qualify for the Asian Games through the National Esports Championships (NESC) that were organised by the Esports Federation of India (ESFI) and is determined to make their mark against the top League of Legends teams to secure a favourable seeding.
Sharing his thoughts on how well prepared the team is to represent the country and how ESFI supported their journey, League of Legends team India captain said, “With the event for the Central and South Asia region starting in two days, our team feels very confident going forward into the event. We’ve received training from the esports and training organisation, FITGMR, which has partnered with ESFI to provide coaching to all the games associated with the event. A few of our players were unable to confirm their participation as exams and deadlines approached, and it was ESFI that helped us by sorting them out which meant that all main members of the team could take part in the event. We are extremely excited and are ready to give it our all to make our country and our supporters proud!”
While esports was included as a demonstration title in 2018, it is going to make its full-fledged debut as an official medal event at the Asian Games 2023 where India will be participating in four titles – League of Legends, FIFA Online 4, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, and DOTA 2.
“The journey of the League of Legends team from where they started till now has been extremely commendable. We have witnessed the team’s growth and the players’ determination to secure their berth for the Asian Games and hence, are confident that they will showcase India’s esports potential on the international stage. Everyone at ESFI wishes them the best of luck for the fixtures in Macau and encourages everyone to support the team as it strives for success,” said ESFI director and Asian Esports Federation (AESF) VP Lokesh Suji.
Initially scheduled for September last year, the Asian Games will now be held from 23 September to 8 October 2023. This multi-nation event will cement esports’ entry into the mainstream sports landscape of India.
The seeding fixtures for the DOTA 2 team comprising skipper Darshan, Krish, Abhishek, Ketan, and Shubham will be conducted online on 13 July while Street Fighter V athletes Mayank Prajapati and Ayan Biswas will be travelling to Hangzhou, China for their respective seeding fixtures from 22-23 July.
The dates for the seeding matches of FIFA Online 4 athletes Charanjot Singh and Karman Singh Tikka will be announced soon by the AESF.