Markus Koskivirta, IeSF's first chairperson of IeSF's Referees' Commission.

Markus Koskivirta (on left) witnessing the Athletes' Oath at IeSF's 8th World Championships - Jakarta.

 International e-Sports Federation (IeSF) elected Markus Sakari Koskivirta (Finland), as the Chairperson of IeSF’s Referee Commission in June 2017.

             Starting his referee career in 2009, Markus Koskivirta has successfully held various positions as a top class referee. Markus was selected as, and held, the position of head referee of IeSFs 8th Esports World Championship.

"I'm very thankful for this opportunity to ensure the high quality of IeSF World Championship now and in the future. The Rules and Regulations used for competitions are what make a tournament reliable and ensure an even ‘playing field’ for all participants. In addition to guaranteeing the integrity of the World Championship I believe the Commission can benefit other esports operatives by creating a standardized set of rules and guidelines for use openly and around the world. I'm personally looking forward to starting the work in collaboration with the members of the Commission as soon as possible.” said Markus Koskivirta, the new Chairperson of IeSF’s Referee Commission.

             IeSF’s Referee Commission will be focusing on the management of competition regulations for its Esports World Championships. It will also have input on the criteria for venues, regulations for equipment, to allow esports athletes to play in a standardized environment. The commission shall also establish a training system to educate potential esports referees in relation to the International Esports Academy. Such training of referees is designed to support esports athletes once their gaming careers have ended.

             “IeSF is very pleased to appoint Mr. Koskivirta as the Chair” said Alex Lim, Secretary General of IeSF. “With his expertise, IeSF trusts that the new referee commission will be a milestone for standardizing the international esports scene, which is also one of the core mission of IeSF. We will continue enhance the esports ecosystem and create more values for the welfare of esports athletes for the better of esports and protection of players.”