Esports at the Asian Games
| Esports at the Asian Games | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Governing bodies | AESF (Asia) |
| Events | 11 (mixed) |
| Games | |
| Demonstration sport years indicated in italics | |
Esports has been one of the regular Asian Games sports since 2022 edition in Hangzhou, China. It was first introduced as a demonstration sport in 2018 in Jakarta and Palembang.
History
Esports made its debut at the Asian Games alongside traditional sports in the 2018 edition in Jakarta and Palembang as demonstration event.[1] The event featured six titles – games for mobile and PC.[2][3] Esports became a medal event in the 2022 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China in 2023 boosting the discipline's bid for recognition as a legitimate sport.[1] The event for the postponed games, featured seven titles.[4] Hearthstone was supposed to be the eight title but was scrapped due to license expiry issue.[5]
The discipline is still set to be held in the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan.[6][7]
Editions
| Games | Year | Host city | Best nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| XIX | 2022 | Hangzhou, China |  China |
| XX | 2026 | Nagoya–Aichi, Japan |
Events
| Event | 18 | 22 | 26 | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | ||||
| Clash Royale | d | 0 | ||
| EA Sports FC Online | X | 1 | ||
| eFootball | d | X | 1 | |
| Gran Turismo 7 | X | 1 | ||
| Hearthstone | d | 0 | ||
| Naraka: Bladepoint | X | 1 | ||
| Puyo Puyo Champions | X | 1 | ||
| StarCraft II | d | 0 | ||
| Street Fighter V | X | [a] | 1 | |
| Team | ||||
| Arena of Valor Honor of Kings[b] | d | X | X | 2 |
| Dota 2 | X | 1 | ||
| Dream Three Kingdoms 2 | X | 1 | ||
| Identity V | X | 1 | ||
| League of Legends | d | X | X | 2 |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | X | 1 | ||
| Pokémon Unite | X | 1 | ||
| PUBG Mobile | X | X | 2 | |
| Competitive Martial Arts | X[c] | 1 | ||
| Total | 0 | 7 | 11 | |
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China (CHN) | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 |  South Korea (KOR) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 |  Thailand (THA) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 |  Chinese Taipei (TPE) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 5 |  Malaysia (MAS) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 |  Hong Kong (HKG) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Mongolia (MGL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Totals (7 entries) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | |
Participating nations
| Nation | 18 | 22 | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
 Bahrain |
4 | 1 | |
| China |
13 | 31 | 2 |
| Chinese Taipei |
13 | 19 | 2 |
| Hong Kong |
9 | 31 | 2 |
 India |
9 | 15 | 2 |
 Indonesia |
17 | 13 | 2 |
 Iran |
3 | 1 | |
 Japan |
3 | 12 | 2 |
 Jordan |
7 | 1 | |
 Kazakhstan |
9 | 28 | 2 |
 Kuwait |
1 | 1 | |
 Kyrgyzstan |
1 | 15 | 2 |
 Laos |
6 | 15 | 2 |
 Macau |
19 | 1 | |
| Malaysia |
2 | 19 | 2 |
 Maldives |
13 | 1 | |
| Mongolia |
10 | 1 | |
 Myanmar |
16 | 1 | |
 Nepal |
22 | 1 | |
 Pakistan |
6 | 1 | |
 Palestine |
12 | 1 | |
 Philippines |
25 | 1 | |
 Qatar |
4 | 1 | |
 Saudi Arabia |
7 | 21 | 2 |
 Singapore |
1 | 1 | |
| South Korea |
7 | 15 | 2 |
 Sri Lanka |
1 | 4 | 2 |
 Tajikistan |
12 | 1 | |
| Thailand |
7 | 32 | 2 |
 United Arab Emirates |
10 | 1 | |
 Uzbekistan |
1 | 23 | 2 |
 Vietnam |
17 | 26 | 2 |
| Number of nations | 18 | 30 | |
| Number of athletes | 131 | 475 | |
Notes
- ↑ A Street Fighter game along with two other titles will be contested in the "Competitive Martial Arts" event
- ↑ Both games are recognised as different versions of the same game.[8]
- ↑ Covers three titles: Street Fighter, Tekken, The King of Fighters. Only one medal will be awarded.[9]
References
- 1 2 "Esports' Asian Games debut is milestone towards acceptance as real sport". South China Morning Post. September 19, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ↑ Tani, Shotaro (August 27, 2018). "'Mobile esports' shine on Asian Games debut". Nikkei Asia. Archived from the original on September 7, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ↑ "A Guide to Esports at the 2018 Asian Games – ARCHIVE - The Esports Observer". Esports Observer. August 30, 2018. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ↑ Ahmed, Wasif (September 8, 2021). "Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou, China will feature 8 esports games as medal events". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ↑ "取消《炉石传说》 杭州亚运会电竞将设7个比赛项目_杭州2022年第19届亚运会官网". www.hangzhou2022.cn (in Chinese). Archived from the original on July 29, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ↑ "Esports Continues To Stage As An Official Medal Sport At The 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026". Asian Electronic Sports Federation. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ↑ "Asian Games: Esports make debut as medal events, welcomed by fans". Kyodo News+. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ↑ "The Official List of Participating Countries & Regions for 2026 Asian Games Esports Events: Honor of Kings is here!". Honor of Kings Esports.
- ↑ "OCA announces e-sports titles for 2026 Asian Games". Olympic Council of Asia. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
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