Cricket's loss has been video gaming's gain at the Asian Games. The Olympic Council of Asia on Wednesday announced that it would introduce video gaming as e-sports event in the official competition programme of the Asian Games to be held at Hangzhou, China in 2022. It will be introduced as a demonstration sport in the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia.
While Gaming industry welcomed the decision, cricket and other sports were dismayed at their exclusion—prominent among them being cue sports which had got the axe in the previous edition in 2014 at Incheon, South Korea. Even some full members of the ICC have expressed dismay at the axe.
Former hockey captain of the 1980 Moscow Olympics gold medal winning team V. Bhaskaran termed the move to include e-gaming as sport “condemnable”. Speaking to THE WEEK , he said, “If e-games can be considered as sport then why not chess? There should be clarity about the criterion for selecting a sport as an event at the continental games.”
The decision to include gaming was taken at the meeting of Olympic Council of Asia president Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah with the Indonesian Vice President and chairman of the 18th Asian Games Organising Committee Muhammad Jousuf Kalla. Indoneisa, the host country wanted the number of events to be cut down from 493 to 431. Other than cricket, Kurash, ju jitsu, jet ski, sport climbing, belt wrestling, para gliding, bridge and Wushu too got the axe.
The OCA in a statement said, “The decision reflects the rapid develop0ment and popularity of this new form of sports participation among the youth.” The council is collaborating with Alisports, a unit of China's Alibaba group to bring e-sports to the game. The company is a big sponsor of the Winter Games to be held in China as well as the Asian Games in 2022.
George Oborne, Managing Director of IndianBe.com and a strong votary of legitimising and streamlining the hugely popular and growing gaming industry, told THE WEEK, “E -gaming is quite serious; it has a huge potential in the market. There is a huge audience for it. However, to term it a sport, I am not sure. But I am all for it coming onto a huge platform like the Asian Games.”
According to Oborne, a lot of people do not have access or resources to prepare for elite sports and competitions. “Spaces are shrinking for kids to play, you have to be a rich to be a member of a sports club or to support your training at the highest level. All that e-sports needs is connectivity and a computer. Also people should understand e-sports too requires a huge amount of skill.”
The OCA's decision is in direct contrast to International Olympic Committee president Richard Bach's view where he had urged people to play outdoor sport, leave behind their tablets, phones and computers.
The International Cricket Council has been keen on pursing its wish for cricket to be recognised as an Olympic sport. Those efforts have definitely received a setback. As its most powerful member, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has steadfastly opposed the idea of cricket being brought under the Olympic banner. India has not fielded its men or women's teams in the Asian Games—cricket was introduced as a medal sport in 2010 Guangzhow Asian Games.
According to sources in Dubai, the matter will come up for discussions when the ICC board meets on April 27 in London. “Some of its associate and full members have expressed concern at the axe as they stand to lose out on a strong chance to win a medal at these games. Some members especially Pakistan has expressed concerns and want to push for it to be reinstated in the Games,” said a source.
According to a top official of the BCCI, “The decision to keep cricket out of Asian Games is OCA's loss. OCA missed a great opportunity in adding value to its TV rights.”
The secretary of the Billiards and Snooker Federations of India, S.Balasubramanium, expressing dismay at this decision, told THE WEEK, “Cue sports was shifted to Asian indoor games, which is not a patch on the Asian Games. Our international body has been representing to OCA to show parity. You have over 100 countries playing cue sports, its widely popular in Asia.”
