A 23-year-old software engineer from Nagpur, Ved Bamb, has made history by becoming the first Indian Pokémon GO player to qualify for the Pokémon World Championships. The event is scheduled to take place from 16 to 18 August in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
Pokémon GO is an augmented reality mobile game, part of the Pokémon franchise, developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.
Bamb will represent India on the global stage by competing in the tournament, which features a prize pool totalling US$2 million.
In April 2024, he participated in the online qualification rounds in India. Out of over 500 competitors, he claimed his victory after two qualification rounds. Advancing to playoffs, he faced 15 qualified Indian players and won every single match without a loss. As the first Indian player ever, his journey from Nagpur to Honolulu marks a monumental milestone for the Indian esports industry.
