Esports’ first Asian Games is set to be postponed to 2023 due to COVID-19

According to the French Press Agency (AFP), the 2022 Asian Games, which were set to take place in Hangzhou, China, September, might be pushed back to 2023

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“No official decision has been taken by the committee until now, but there is a possibility that it will be postponed.”

The Asian Games 2022 are expected to be a groundbreaking moment in the history of esports. Esports made a debut as a demonstration only during the 2018 Asian Games. A limited number of games will have complete contests with award ceremonies in 2022. League of Legends, Dota 2, PUBG Mobile, FIFA Online 4, and other games will be played, with the champions receiving an official Asian Games gold medal.

However, according to a Barron’s report, the Asian Games may be postponed until 2023. The announcement comes as the host city of the events, Hangzhou, and China’s largest city, Shanghai, face continuing lockdowns that would make the games impossible to host.

Image via Riot Games

People from Shanghai have decided to migrate to Hangzhou in order to continue living their lives free of shutdown restrictions. The organization is presently monitoring the situation and, as a result, has not taken a final decision.

Due to the compressed schedule, LPL’s representative for the 2022 MSI will be unable to perform live, and will instead participate remotely from their home facilities or the Shanghai LPL Arena.

The LCK had troubles, too. On April 21, coach Kkoma declared his desire to resign as head coach for the national team, citing the ongoing mishandling of the selection and tryout.