Asian Games Send-off Event for Japan's National Esports Team
On August 9, the Japan e-Sports Union (JeSU) held a send-off event for the Japanese national team participating in the e-sports demonstration events at the 18th Asian Games (August 18 - September 2) in Indonesia. The event took place at the Japan National Press Club in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.
The event also featured introductions of JeSU's official sponsors and announcements of future activity plans.
eSports (electronic sports) is the abbreviation used when viewing competitive gaming as a sporting event. It is a sport accessible to anyone, regardless of physical attributes or gender, and enjoys fervent popularity overseas, particularly among the millennial generation.
Currently, there are approximately 380 million esports fans worldwide, and this number is projected to increase by about 1.5 times over the next three years.
It is gaining significant attention, including the potential for inclusion as an official event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Chairman Hideki Okamura outlined JeSU's objectives since its January 2018 establishment: promoting esports, expanding competitive experiences, issuing professional licenses, and developing athletes. He announced Japan will send three representatives to the Asian Games and expressed hope for esports becoming an official sport at the next Games.
He also introduced the six companies officially sponsoring JeSU (KDDI, Suntory Holdings, Lawson, Third Wave, BEAMS, Indeed Japan) and the newly appointed Special Advisors.
The four Special Advisors are: Morinari Watanabe, President of the International Gymnastics Federation (also President of the Urban Sports Support Council); Kazumichi Iwakami, Vice President of the Japan Football Association; Tadashi Tohari, Managing Director of the Japan Golf Association; and Yuki Ota, Vice President of the Urban Sports Support Council.
Vice President Hirofumi Hamamura announced that Tetsuro Akasaka will compete in "Hearthstone" on August 31st, and Tsubasa Aihara and Naoki Sugimura will compete in "Winning Eleven 2018" on September 1st at the Asian Games.
He also explained future activities, including preparations for the "Japan-Saudi Arabia eSports International Friendly Match" to be jointly held in January 2019, and the dispatch of Japanese representatives to the 10th "eSports World Championship" (November 2018, Taiwan), which will feature 42 participating countries.
The three Japanese national team members appeared on stage wearing JeSU's official uniforms featuring sponsor logos.
The trio introduced themselves, sharing how they started gaming and their achievements to date. Regarding the official uniforms, they commented, "We're honored to have top-tier sponsors," and "Wearing them makes us feel more focused." Expressing their determination for the Asian Games, they stated, "We will fight in a way that does not disgrace our representation," and "We want to bring back the best-colored medal."
With Aihara being a high school student, Sugimura a university student, and Akasaka also 23 years old, it was a fresh introduction of the new Japanese national team.
JeSU Official Website: https://jesu.or.jp/
Related Article:Japan e-Sports Union (JeSU) Appoints Dentsu Inc. as Dedicated Marketing Agency[2018.08.09]
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