Asian Games: esports tickets expected to be hardest to obtain and with highest prices in sport’s first Asiad appearance
- Esports will be only event with lottery-based system to obtain tickets
- The Hangzhou event will feature seven different games as esports takes a step towards greater integration on the international sporting stage
In its debut as an Asian Games event, esports events are expected to make waves in Hangzhou, with some of the hardest tickets to obtain.
Esports kicks off at the Hangzhou Esports Centre on September 24 with Arena of Valor Asian Games Version, wrapping up nine days later on October 2 with DOTA2 finals. Medals will also be awarded in five additional gaming events: PUBG Mobile Asian Games Version, League of Legends, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition and Fifa Online 4.
Being the only sport in Hangzhou with a lottery system to purchase tickets, esports is expected to become one of the most popular events with some of the highest ticket prices, according to Chinese state media.
The Games’ organising committee as well as the Asian Electronic Sports Federation had jointly consulted on the competition system and venue for esports. With esports entering its first large-scale multi-sporting event, Xia Hong, CEO of the game Perfect World, believed this was a step towards introducing virtual gaming to international events traditionally catered towards physical sports.
“Being allowed into the Asiad is a milestone, which will not only help esports further integrate into large-scale sports competitions but also promote its popularisation and standardisation,” Xia said.
With the first Olympic esports week having been held in June in Singapore, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) establishing a new esports committee this month, the sport may well be on track for an even bigger international stage.
