eSports will be an Official Sport at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou

HANGZHOU, China, April 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alisports Group (Alisports), the comprehensive sports platform provider, has announced a strategic partnership with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). Through this collaboration, the two will work together to bring Electronic Sports (eSports), or video games, to the official sports program of the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, introducing this emerging class of competition into the field of traditional sports.

Apart from the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, eSports has also been added to the 2017 Ashgabat Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG), and the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. Leveraging its expertise in eSports promotion and event organization, Alisports, as OCA's strategic partner, will be an active participator in helping expand the market for games organized by the association.

OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, said, "The Olympic Council of Asia is committed to the heritage, development and improvement of Asian sports, and we are extremely pleased about the strategic partnership with Alisports. We are sure that the extensive organizing capabilities of Alisports, and their experience in eSports, will assist OCA in developing all sports."

According to OCA, eSports to be contested at the 2017 AIMAG this September will include FIFA 2017, Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) and Real Time Attack (RTA) gaming types. These are the most popular gaming types among global eSports players and were incorporated into the World Electronic Sports Games (WESG), which was launched by Alisports last year and attracted players from over 100 countries.

Alisports actively promotes eSports and has a long-term goal of introducing these digital competitions into venues and events that have long been showcases for "traditional" sports. Zhang Dazhong, Founder & CEO of Alisports said, "It's our pleasure to work with OCA and we would like to thank them for their faith in Alisports. In the future, we will work closely together to develop new modes of developing big games and events, and to provide sponsors with more opportunities and value. We look forward to presenting more exciting video game competitions to not only eSports lovers but also a global audience."

Zhang added that he expects eSports to eventually be featured at the Olympic Games, as digital games tournaments are being more professionally organized, and their competitions more accepted as mainstream entertainment. "It's only a matter of time," he said.

About The Olympic Council of Asia

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is the governing body that oversees all sports in Asia. It is one of the five continental associations recognized by the IOC.

OCA was formed in 1982 and has its permanent headquarters in Kuwait. The main objective of OCA is to develop sport, culture and the education of Asian youth as well as to promote international respect, friendship, goodwill & peace through sports.

About Alisports Group

Alisports Group (Alisports), founded in 2015 as Alibaba Sports Group by the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, integrates e-commerce, media, marketing, video, home entertainment, cloud computing and other Internet-enabled technologies to form a sports platform that participates in different aspects of the professional sports industry, including sports copyrights, sports media, events, ticketing, and more.

Alisports leverages Alibaba Group's vast e-commerce ecosystem, media resources and deep experience with China's new media and sports sectors to create an Internet-based, consumer-centric sports platform that creates value for sports industry participants and enhances consumers and sports fans' engagement with teams and brands.

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SOURCE Alisports