Tuesday, 18 April 2023

IESF and Gamers8 partner to convene the Asian esports world together


Busan, South Korea (April 17, 2023): The International Esports Federation (IESF) announced the partnership with Gamers8 and Saudi Esports Federation (SEF), ready to deliver a groundbreaking experience for Asian athletes. This partnership will forge the first ever Gamers8 IESF Asian Championship. The Championship will have a preliminary online round from May 1 to 16, followed by the live event in Riyadh from July 10 to 17, as part of Gamers8.  The winners will advance to the WE Championship Finals in Lași, Romania this August.

The offline round of the Gamers8 IESF Asian Championship will be part of Gamers8, the world’s largest esports and gaming festival and the ultimate place for elite esports competition and together with IESF will embark on the mission to unite esports stakeholders from all over the world. 


The online Asia & Oceania qualifiers are the first for this year’s WE Championships and will kick off an exciting several months of thrilling international esports competition. Qualifiers for the Americas, Europe, and Africa will follow. Each region will compete across six games: PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, CS:GO, Dota 2, Tekken 7, and eFootball™. 


IESF Secretary General Boban Totovski said: “Thank you to the city of Riyadh for welcoming us and hosting the Gamers8 IESF Asian Championship. We are confident that the World Esports Family will have an unforgettable experience in one of the world’s top esports destinations. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Gamers8 and the Saudi Esports Federation and are looking forward to seeing the region’s best gamers go head-to-head in Riyadh.”

Saudi Esports Federation Deputy CEO Ahmed Albishri said: “The first Gamers8 IESF Asian Championship is a great reward for all Asian players. We are excited to host this tournament for the first time during the summer of 2023 at Gamers8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to show off the best skills and provide an unforgettable esports experience.“

IESF is committed to continuing its goal of promoting inclusion and diversity in the World Esports Family, with a record of 120 countries expected to participate this year and an expanded Women’s CS:GO Tournament. The WE Championships Finals will begin on August 24 and conclude on September 4, where the World Esports Champion will be crowned. 


About Gamers8 - The Land of Heroes


Gamers8 is the world’s largest esports and gaming festival and the destination for elite esports champions and gaming universe lovers. It’s the ultimate place to compete for glory and become a hero walking among the worlds of your chosen story. Located in Riyadh at the heart of Saudi Arabia, Gamers8 spans a period of eight weeks from July to September 2023, with new challenges and experiences unlocked every week. You can watch the world’s top esports teams compete for the highest prize pools, attend performances by global music artists, experience your favorite gaming platforms come to life, and learn the mysteries behind the creation of video games. Gamers8 is your world and it’s your adventure to choose.

About the International Esports Federation


IESF is the uniting body for World Esports. Founded in 2008 by nine-member nations, IESF is currently composed of 130 Member Federations across six continents. IESF brings together all esports stakeholders to achieve a united ecosystem for the development of sustainable and responsible gaming worldwide. The IESF WE Championships is the biggest multi-sport spectacle of esports in the world. IESF also organizes the annual World Esports Summit in order to support the highest standard of esports governance worldwide.


Additional reading:

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Sunday, 16 April 2023

Results: 13th Online Championships held on 15 April 2023.

Tai Kafwimbi (Northcliff High School) earned Provincial Colours as well as the Sportsmanship Award.

Mind Sports South Africa's (MSSA) 13th Online Championships was held on 15 April 2023 and showed sterling results.

In spite of the loadshedding plaguing the country, MSSA ran a very successful championship. All the participating athletes showed great restraint as ESKOM again failed to deliver an uninterrupted electricity supply to the country. There is no doubt that loadshedding has a detrimental effect in terms of the growth of esports and certainly hampers athletes in terms of training and performance.

All Registered Players who have finished in the top three places, or the top 20% - whichever is greater, are entitled to enter trials.

However, it must be remembered that all players must have a valid passport at the date of entry.

It was indeed exciting to watch just how school teams dominated the event. 

Registered Players participated from three provinces and nine (9) players qualified for Provincial Colours. 15 more players also qualified for MSSA's National Team Trials.

The winners are as follows:

TitleName of player/teamClubProvincial Colours awarded
Clash of Clans - PremierWilliam BrinkHoër VolkskoolNorth West
Clash Royale - PremierJoshua WestcottOakhill School
Clash Royale - High SchoolTiaan KoenHoërskool Klerksdorp
E-Football - PremierTshwarelo TshwaneKnights Mind Sports ClubGauteng
HearthStone - PremierStorm MatsepeNorthcliff High SchoolGauteng
Rocket League 1 v 1 - PremierNathan StrangeHoërskool KlerksdorpNorth West
Rocket League 1 v 1 - High SchoolHanu VisserHoër Volkskool
Rocket League 3 v 3 - Premier
Ethan FabianNorthcliff High SchoolGauteng
SiphoNorthcliff High SchoolGauteng
Tai KafwimbiNorthcliff High SchoolGauteng
Street Fighter V - PremierMarnus van der MerweHoërskool KlerksdorpNorth West
Tekken 7 - PremierReneilwe MaphasaTuks eSportsGauteng
Sportsmanship awardTai KafwimbiNorthcliff High School

Additional reading:

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Friday, 14 April 2023

Does prize money for Esports fall under the Gambling Act?


Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA)  is the world's oldest national federation for esports having been founded in 1985 and is the custodian for all esports in South Africa.

With the development of esports in South Africa, there are more-and-more private operators wanting to start their own competitions. Many of these private operators do not want to seek official accreditation in order to avoid regulatory bodies and the law.

eSports are not governed by gambling legislation and therefore a licence from the provincial gambling boards is not required should events be accredited by MSSA. v

If the event meets the requirements for an eSport event, then the event would be governed by the eSport regulator.

Online gaming has gained significant momentum in South Africa. There are dedicated leagues that host local competitions where entrants pay fees (similar to the Registration Fees) and compete for the opportunity to win cash prizes. 

Online gaming on a competitive level is considered an eSport. The recognition of eSports in South Africa has taken great strides by MSSA. In this way, competitive and online gaming is regulated in terms of sporting regulation and not under gambling laws. 

In the 2013 White Paper on Sport and Recreation for the Republic of South Africa (White Paper), the definition of sport in a development context includes a broad and inclusive spectrum of activities which people of all ages and abilities can participate. 

In 2008, the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Sport for the Development and Peace defined sport, for the purposes of development, as “all forms of physical activity that contribute to physical fitness, mental wellbeing and social interaction, such as play, recreation, organised or competitive sport, and indigenous sports and games”.

Fortunately, Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) (the official organisation with the rights to give out South African colours to eSports teams at a national and provincial level) makes a clear provision for the recognition of eSports in their constitutional document. eSports are recognised as sports and are, as such, regulated in terms of sporting legislation and not gambling legislation.

Thus, it is MSSA's opinion that in order to avoid approaching a gambling regulator, a private operator needs to have its event registered as an accredited eSport event. 

Additional reading:

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, 5 April 2023

13th Provincial Online Championships - 15 April 2023

Esports athletes from all around the country, and at all levels are welcome to participate.

Mind Sports South Africa's (MSSA) is the world's oldest and most respected National Federation for esports.

On 15 April 2023 MSSA shall be holding its 13th Provincial Online Championships.

What with MSSA in the process of selecting, and getting its National Protea esports team approved for IESF's 15th World Esports Championships to be held in Lasi, Romania, in August 2023, MSSA's 13th Provincial Online Championships. affords all esports athletes an opportunity to qualify for IESF's 16th World Esports Championships as well as an opportunity to qualify for MSSA's National Team trials which will select National Teams in all the other game titles for which teams have not been selected.

Such National Team Trials shall be held on 12 August 2023.

In order to participate, players must be registered for the 2022/2023 season.

The championship shall be held on 15 April 2023.

Game titles to be played are:


Period/genreTitlePlatformAge restrictionPlayers
Shooter
CODMMobile184 v 4
CS GOPC165 v 5
PUBGMMobile184 v 4
Sport
FIFA '23PS5, and all platforms compatible with PS5 for cross play121 v 1
eFootball 2023 (Konami)PS5, and all platforms compatible with PS5 for cross play121 v 1
Rocket LeaguePC and Console121 v 1
Rocket LeaguePC and Console123 v 3
Sim racing – Assetto Corsa CompetizionePC121
MOBA
DotA 2PC125 v 5
Clash RoyaleMobile121 v 1
League of LegendsPC125 v 5
Clash of ClansMobile121 v 1
Mobile Legends Bang BangMobile125 v 5
Fighting
Tekken 7PS5, and all platforms compatible with PS5 for cross play161 v 1
Street Fighter VPS5, and all platforms compatible with PS5 for cross play121 v 1
CardHearthStoneVarious121 v 1

Players are to acquaint themselves with the rules apropos substitutes and loadshedding.

Tournament Structure:


As per the MSSA's rules, being:

  • If less than six teams, the championship shall be a Round Robin Championship
  • If 6 to 10 teams enter the championship there shall be four rounds as played to the Swiss System
  • If 11 or more teams enter the championship there shall be five rounds as played to the Swiss System

Eligibility:

  • Any team consisting of players who are Registered Players affiliated to a MSSA member club may enter.

Entries:

  • Entry is R100.00 per Registered Player.
  • Only fully-paid-up Registered Players may participate in this event.
  • Entries must be submitted by midnight 13 April 2023.
  • To enter, the club must complete the Google Drive document. 
  • The entry form may be found on Google Drive. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_ERR6815uVjSMu4t5KkRxYqGJ_AA88kkz31qRgksASc/edit#gid=287696184
  • Clubs are to download the entry form, completed the downloaded form, and e-mail it to Mind Sports South Africa. 
  • Photographs of players must accompany the entry.
  • Only entries submitted via email and on Excel shall be accepted.

Medals:


Medals shall be handed over to winners at the next MSSA LAN that they attend. 


      MALE:

  • PREMIER: Medals shall be awarded to the first three teams.
  • UNDER 24: Medals shall be awarded to the first three teams that have not won a Premier medal and which are comprised entirely of students currently registered at any officially recognized University.
  • SCHOLARS: Medals shall be awarded to the first three teams of learners currently registered at any officially recognized school, provided they have not received any Premier medals. 
        FEMALE:
  • PREMIER: Medals shall be awarded to the first three teams.
  • UNDER 24: Medals shall be awarded to the first three teams that have not won a Premier medal and which are comprised entirely of students currently registered at any officially recognized University.
  • SCHOLARS: Medals shall be awarded to the first three teams of learners currently registered at any officially recognized school, provided they have not received any Premier medals.

Colours:

  • Protea Colours: Only Players that are selected to represent South Africa in International Championships may earn National Colours if the Protea Colours Board's criteria are met.
  • National Colours: All Players that win all of their Matches at a National Championship will earn National Colours.
  • Provincial Colours: All Players that win all of their Matches at a Provincial Championship will earn Provincial Colours. All Players who score within the top 50% in a specific Period at a Provincial Championship, and who also score within the top 50% at a National Championship in the same period and in the same year, will earn Provincial Colours.

        General:

        • The championship shall be played on: 13 April 2023
        • The first round will start at 10H00. Players shall be given 60 minutes to complete each round.
        • Players playing 3 v 3 Rocket League shall be given 1.5 hours to complete the round.
        • The championship is accredited as being of the same status as a provincial championship. 
        • The championship shall be used for the awarding of provincial colours;
        • The championship shall be used for the awarding of medals for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in Premier, Under 24, and School categories;
        • The championship shall be used for the ability to qualify for National Team Squad.
        • All medals shall be awarded to the recipients at a MSSA LAN championships.

        Umpires:

        • Umpires may only be contacted over Discord on the channel provided on the day of competition. Any communication not on the Discord channel shall not be entered into.

        Ladder:

        • All games shall count towards the National Ladder.

        Shout casting:

        Additional reading:
        Posted by at No comments:
        Labels: , , , , , , ,
        Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)