The inaugural Commonwealth esports championships will be played alongside the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham in August, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has announced.
The esports event at Birmingham 2022 will be held independently and will have its own round of medals and titles. It will be held at the International Convention Centre on August 6 and 7.
Meanwhile, the Commonwealth esports forum will also be conducted at the same venue on August 5, olympics.com reported.
Commenting on the development, CGF President Dame Louise Martin said: “I am delighted that we are announcing the first Commonwealth Esports Championships and Commonwealth Esports Forum to take place in Birmingham this summer.”
“Esports is continuing to grow dramatically in terms of popularity and participation, particularly amongst young people, and we are continuing to look at ways to explore how it can align with the Commonwealth Sports Movement. Commonwealth Esports Championships provides an excellent opportunity to pilot esports close to the Commonwealth Games,” he added.
On the other hand, Global Esports Federation President Chris Chan said: “We are proud to establish yet another first for the world’s esports community. The inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships comes hot on the heels of the first-ever Singapore 2021 Global Esports Games staged in December 2021, capturing more than 500 million views from around the world.”
“The Commonwealth Esports Championships offers our community another exciting event in the global esports calendar. We look forward to welcoming the esports community to Birmingham in August,” he added.
The Commonwealth Games will run between July 28 to August 8 while the Asian Games will be held in September in Hangzhou, China.
The new competition in Birmingham will be supported by the British Esports Association, the not-for-profit national body established in 2016 to promote esports in the UK, increase its level of awareness, improve standards and inspire future talent.
Notably,t he event is supported by the Business and Tourism Programme (BATP), which aims to maximise the economic legacy of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, as well as the regional economic development agency, the West Midlands Growth Company, which drives long-term tourism, investment, and major events into the region.
Exploring esports is one of the recommendations outlined in the new Commonwealth Sport 2026/30 Strategic Roadmap. The aspiration is that the innovative inaugural event will engage new audiences, showcase the digital and gaming credentials of the West Midlands and enable the Commonwealth Sport Movement to further explore the impact and potential of esports as part of the roadmap.