Esports had seven medal events at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, held in 2023. China won gold in Arena of Valor, PUBG Mobile, Dream Three Kingdoms 2 and Dota 2, South Korea won League of Legends and Street Fighter V, and Thailand took gold and silver in EA Sports FC Online. Malaysia won silver in Arena of Valor and bronze in Dota 2.
What Is the Asian Games?
The Asian Games is a multi-sport tournament recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is held every four years, with more than 40 countries and regions from Asia competing for the title. Nations from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, South Asia and East Asia take part. It is also known as the second-largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games.
Read More: Esports Facts
Esports at the Asian Games
First Esports Inclusion in the Asian Games
Esports was included as a demonstration sport at the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia.
19th Asian Games Esports Format
The 19th Asian Games esports events were held at the Hangzhou Esports Centre, with seven medal events:
- Arena of Valor
- Dota 2
- Dream Three Kingdoms 2
- EA Sports FC Online (formerly known as FIFA Online 4)
- League of Legends
- Peacekeeper Elite (known as PUBG Mobile)
- Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
The esports events ran from September 24, with the Dota 2 finals closing the event on October 2, 2023.
14 countries were first seeded at the Road to Asian Games prelude, where teams competed within their own region: East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia. Once teams were sorted and seeded, the top team from each subregion received a pass to the playoffs, and the other teams played through a group stage.
All Winners and Results
1. League of Legends
- Gold: South Korea
- Silver: Chinese Taipei
2. Arena of Valor
- Gold: China
- Silver: Malaysia
3. EA Sports FC Online (FIFA Online 4)
- Gold and silver: Thailand
- Bronze: South Korea
4. PUBG Mobile
- Gold: China
- Silver: South Korea
- Bronze: Chinese Taipei
5. Dream Three Kingdoms 2
- Gold: China
- Silver: Hong Kong
- Bronze: Thailand
6. Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
- Gold: South Korea
- Silver: Chinese Taipei
- Bronze: Chinese Taipei
7. Dota 2
- Gold: China
- Silver: Mongolia
- Bronze: Malaysia
Dota 2 Semi-final: China vs Malaysia
China beat Malaysia 2-1 in the Dota 2 semi-final. Both teams had earned direct berths to the playoffs by winning the Road to Asian Games qualifiers for East Asia and Southeast Asia in July.
China started strong in the first game, dominating the early and mid-game with strong performances from Lu “Somnus” Yao’s Earth Spirit, Yang “Chalice” Shenyi’s Broodmother and Wang “Ame” Chunyu’s Monkey King. Malaysia then staged a comeback led by Cheng “NothingToSay” Jin Xiang’s Tinker, creating chances for Daniel “Ghost” Chan’s Sven. After a 51-minute battle, Malaysia won the first game.
China took the second game in 39 minutes. In the third game, Ame’s Faceless Void, Somnus’ Kunkka and Chalice’s Magnus produced a win in just 38 minutes, which secured China’s place in the gold medal match.
The other semi-final was between Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan. Its winner would face China in the gold medal match on Monday, October 2, while Malaysia would play the losing team in the bronze medal match on the same day. The medal list above shows China with gold, Mongolia with silver and Malaysia with bronze.
Why Esports at the Asian Games Matters
Esports is a growing industry among young people and Gen Alpha. Its place at the Asian Games gave professional gamers a stage to compete across Asia.
Stay tuned to Ugrado.com for more esports news and updates.
Top Bonus Pick
