Commonwealth esports championships to be held

Esports secured another major milestone in its rapid rise into public conscious after it was confirmed an inaugural Commonwealth esports championships will take place.

The event will take place alongside the 2022 Commonwealth Games set to be hosted in Birmingham but independent of the competition.

The Commonwealth Games are scheduled to take place from 26 July to 8 August, with the esports tournament being hosted at the International Convention Centre between 6 and 7 August.

Dame Louise Martin, Commonwealth Games Federation president, said the rapid rise in popularity of esports led to the decision to launch the tournament.

She said: “I am delighted that we are announcing the first Commonwealth esports championships and Commonwealth esports forum to take place in Birmingham this summer.

“Esports is continuing to grow dramatically in terms of popularity and participation, particularly amongst young people, and we are continuing to look at ways to explore how it can align with the Commonwealth Sports Movement.

“Commonwealth esports championships provides an excellent opportunity to pilot esports close to the Commonwealth Games.

“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,” she added.

Chester King, British Esports Association CEO, said: “The gaming community has long understood that esports helps teamwork, communication and strategic thinking together with combating loneliness, but alongside this, it creates opportunities for its athletes to participate in a team environment in a similar way to traditional sport with all the benefits.”