South Korea Dominates Day One of League of Legends at Asian Games Esports

South Korea’s League of Legends team had a successful first day of esports competition at the Asian Games. Led by top player Lee Sang-hyeok, also known as “Faker,” the team won their matches against Hong Kong and Kazakhstan. The games were short, lasting only about 17 minutes, compared to the usual longer durations of tournament games in esports.

Lee expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance, stating, “Today’s games went really well, just as we had anticipated.” League of Legends, a popular game where two teams compete to destroy each other’s base using powerful champions, is a crowd favorite at the Asian Games.

In the match against Kazakhstan, Lee chose to play the champion Yone. The South Korean players have more than national pride on the line at the Asian Games, as winning a gold medal exempts them from compulsory military service in the country.

Lee also mentioned that he has fully recovered from hand and arm pain that had previously affected his gaming. With their two victories, South Korea advances to the quarterfinals to face Saudi Arabia. Vietnam and India will also compete in the quarterfinals after winning their matches against Japan, Palestine, and Kazakhstan.

The League of Legends competition features strong teams from South Korea and China, with Hong Kong player Chau Shu Tak commenting on the powerful players from South Korea. Fans eagerly await the performance of Lee, widely regarded as the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) in the League of Legends community.

Esports is gaining recognition and popularity, especially among young audiences. It made its debut at the previous Asian Games and has become an official competition sport this year. The International Olympic Committee has also recognized the potential of esports and established an esports commission to explore its inclusion in future Olympic events.

Aside from League of Legends, the Asian Games esports competition includes other PC and mobile games such as Arena of Valor, Peace Elite, Dota 2, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, and EA Sports FC. Gold medals will be awarded for each game.

As the global games market continues to grow, it is expected that the number of players worldwide will reach 3.38 billion by 2023, with annual revenues reaching $187.7 billion.