On Sunday, the Esports Federation of India (ESFI) held a grand farewell ceremony for the Indian contingent taking part in the first-ever Commonwealth Esports Championship. The first multi-nation esports tournament is organized by Commonwealth Games & Global Esports Federation; scheduled for Birmingham from August 6-7.
Members of DOTA 2 and Rocket League, who will represent the country at this prestigious event, were present for the occasion alongside Lokesh Suji, Director ESFI & VP- Asian Esports Federation, Satinder Sikri (VP-Haryana Esports Association) and Yash Bhalawala (Gen Sec-Esports Association of Gujrat) at INOX Insignia at Ardee Mall, Gurgaon.
ESFI also unveiled the official Team India kits for the Commonwealth Esports Championships at the event.
“Esports is like any other sport and we wanted to make sure that we would say goodbye to our Indian contingent in the best possible way before the big event. We thank INOX for helping us organize this wonderful farewell ceremony. The rise of esports in India over the past few years has been truly remarkable and the participation of two teams on behalf of the nation on the world stage is the result.At ESFI, we wish the Indian contingent well and we are confident they will make the nation proud,” said Lokesh Suji, ESFI Director and Vice President of the Asian eSports Federation.
“We are honored and very excited to be part of this inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championship and there is a strong likelihood that esports will be a medal sport at the next Commonwealth Games scheduled for 2026” Suji added.
The Indian Rocket League team will be led by Hargun Singh (Hargun
Both teams have already proven themselves with impressive victories in the tournament’s South Asian regional qualifiers last month.
“I’m really excited to have esports included in a Commonwealth event, as it will really change the way esports is viewed by people around the world. As a gamer, this is a huge opportunity for us. is given and we are really going to do our best to represent India as best as we can. We are all putting extra effort to maximize everyone’s potential and work as a team,” Hargun said on the sidelines of the event.
“The whole team is looking forward to playing against the best teams in the world and proving our mettle. We paid a lot of attention to our strategies and practiced a lot in the hope of finishing on the podium. Having the chance to represent the nation in the first ever Commonwealth Esports Championship is a great reward to show for all the effort we have put into playing this game at the highest level. Many thanks to ESFI for the farewell ceremony today and especially for the sports psychology session which taught us a lot of valuable things. Added DOTA 2 skipper Moin Ejaz.
The players also took part in an illuminating sports psychology session “Building a high performance mindset” by Mitesh Jain (Founder and Chief Sports Psychologist – Mandeha). It included mental exercises and activities to improve players’ concentration, mental skills, self-confidence, motivation and communication skills.
It was followed by a special film screening for the players as they had fun and relaxed ahead of their long journey. The Indian contingent left for Birmingham early in the morning on Monday (August 1, 2022).
Artsmith – Concepts & Visions, one of the nation’s leading sports and esports communications companies, will continue its support of the championships as an official communications partner of ESFI.
The 2022 Commonwealth Esports Championships will take place at the Birmingham International Convention Center with the presence of the best Esports teams from around the world. Alongside DOTA2 and Rocket League, PES2022 will also be part of the tournament.