Commonwealth Esports Championships
Another major event is being held this year in Birmingham. In addition to the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Birmingham will also play host to the first ever Commonwealth Esports Championship and Forum. This partnership between the Global Esports Federation and the Commonwealth Games Federation is in support of the British Esports Association’s mission to Promote Esports in the UK, Improve Standards, and Inspire future talent.
The “Commonwealth Esports Championships provides an excellent opportunity to pilot esports close to the Commonwealth Games,” said Dame Louise Martin, President of Commonwealth Games Federation. “This will allow us to review the long-term relationship between the Commonwealth Games and esports as we continue to evolve and explore future editions of our event and what they could look like.”
Esports is Electronic Sports and is made up of video game competitions. These multiplayer competitions can be individuals or teams. These competitions will include renowned multi-genre global gaming titles and are in the final stages of confirmation. They will be announced shortly by the organizers.
The Commonwealth Esports Forum will be on August 5, 2022 and the Championships will be August 6-8, 2022. Both events will take place at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham, England.
Although the events are independent of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Sports Program in that they will have separate branding, medals, organization and governance; the Esports Championships will be able to take advantage of the high-profile attention garnished by the Commonwealth Games.
These new events provide a fantastic opportunity to 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. An example of the opportunity these events provide can be found from looking at “the first-ever Singapore 2021 Global Esports Games staged in December 2021, capturing more than 500 million views from around the world,” said Chris Chan, President of Global Esports Federation.
The Esports events are 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.
For more information, please contact:
Patrick Kenny
Communications Team Leader – Team Canada 2022
Email: patrick@commonwealthsport.ca
613 724 7160
