Turkmen e-sports players joined the Asian e-sports Federation
On 5 January, the Turkmenistan national electronic sports federation (TMeSF) joined the Asian electronic sports federation (AESF). Now the total number of members of the organization, including recognized eSports powers – China, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia and Kazakhstan – has reached 45.
For Turkmen eSports players, the inclusion of the national federation in the AESF is a huge step forward. Within the framework of the international organization, Turkmenistan now has more opportunities to promote e-sports, exchange experience with members of the AESF, and, importantly, attract sponsors to national teams. But the main advantage is the ability of the national team to participate in regional and international tournaments.
AESF is an authoritative organization of the International electronic sports federation (IeSF), recognized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). Its main goal is to improve the quality and professional management of eSport, support and monitor the development of electronic sports in the Asian region and develop world-class athletes to achieve success in the international arena.
After the successful "run-in" of eSports as a demonstration discipline at the V Asian indoor and martial arts games in Ashgabat in September 2017, AESF and IeSF tripled their efforts to include e-sports in the Olympic games program.
The intermediate results were the inclusion of eSports in the list of demonstration species at the second after the Olympic games huge competitions – Asian games: in Jakarta-2018 and Hangzhou-2022. And they are oriented to the Olympic games in 2024 in Paris. The Chairman of the Organizational Committee on carrying Tony Estanguet strongly supports the idea.
The inclusion of eSports in the demonstration program of the Olympic games will give an incredible impetus to the development of the whole sphere. Already, the global gaming industry accounts for 51.3% of the total entertainment market, and the video game market is currently worth a whopping $5 billion US dollars. Popularity of video games among fans left long behind baseball and hockey, and by 2022 experts predict the same fate for basketball and football.
