Will Korea send esports team to 2018 Asian Games?

For the first time, esports — competitive video gaming — is set to be incorporated as an official medal event at the 2018 Asian Games that kick off in Indonesia in August. And all eyes are on whether South Korea, an esports powerhouse, will be participating in the inaugural event.

Until recently, it was uncertain whether Korea would be sending esports players to the upcoming Asian Games due to domestic administrative issues.

In order to send national athletes to the Asian Games, at least one regional unit of a particular sports association has to be a formal member of the Korea Sport & Olympic Committee. However, the Korea e-Sports Association is currently not a member of the KSOC.

However, the latest developments here suggest that Korean esports players — such as the famed League of Legends pro-gamer Lee Sang-hyeok, internationally known by his game ID “Faker” — are highly likely to participate in the upcoming Asian Games.

The Korea e-Sports Association announced Monday that the Daejeon Sports Council has accepted the Daejeon e-Sports Association as its member. Membership in the regional body is a prerequisite to becoming a member of the KSOC.

Now, the Korean esports body only has to win membership into the KSOC in order to be eligible to send athletes to the Asian Games, it said. It is currently in the process of picking out the top esports players to represent Korea in the regional multi-sport competition.

A total of six esports titles are set to debut as official medal events at the 2018 Asian Games. They include PC games including “League of Legends,” “Starcraft II,” “Hearthstone” and “Pro Evolution Soccer” as well as mobile games “Clash Royale” and “Arena of Valor.”

By Sohn Ji-young (jys@heraldcorp.com)