Esports Teams Prepare for Asian Games 2022 League of Legends Event

The Asian Games 2022 is just a few months away but teams are restless as they start looking for the perfect representatives to compete in the esports division of the event. Esports like League of Legends have become a central part of the Asian Games since it is one of the most-viewed competitions in the eastern side of the world. As early as now, let’s take a look at how each country is preparing for the event in their own way.

The Asian Games 2022

The Asian Games is like a mini version of the Olympics that’s exclusive to Asian countries. The biggest difference in this event aside from the exclusivity of the participants is that esports is an officially recognized competition in the event. The eight esports games in the event are League of Legends, Dota 2, Hearthstone, FIFA Online 4, Arena of Valor, PUBG Mobile, Street Fighter V, and Dream of the Three Kingdoms 2.

Each of these events have large viewerships and playerbases in the east, even if the western side of the world hasn’t heard of some of these titles in their life. Just like the traditional sports, players will be awarded medals according to how high their standing is in the event they participated. Some countries also have additional rewards and incentives for teams and players that place high in their respective events.

How Each Country is Preparing for the Asian Games

The Asian Games 2022 will begin on September 10, 2022 and end on September 25, 2022. Despite being a few months away, each country is already preparing for the upcoming events, especially in the League of Legends sector where some of the most prominent names are already trying out to make it into the teams. Let’s take a look at some of the major countries and how they’re going to prepare for the upcoming event.

1. China

China was the country that secured the Gold Medal in the 2018 League of Legends Asian Game event with a superstar team that included Royal Never Give Up’s MSI-winning roster in addition to WE’s Xiye and EDG’s Meiko. This year, the country is looking to defend its title by taking the best-performing players in both the Spring 2022 Season and the Mid-Season Invitationals, depending on the results.

The LPL is the defending MSI and World Championship winners, so they are looking like the biggest competitors in the upcoming event. In the Olympics and Asian Games, the Chinese government has always given its support to help their athletes and competitors take home the glory. It’s looking like this year won’t be any different as the level of their competitors are only looking fiercer and fiercer.

2. South Korea

South Korea didn’t manage to win the last tournament, but they’re looking to make a serious comeback in the Asian Games 2022 tournament. This tournament is very special for Koreans because players that win Gold Medals in the event either become exempt from Military Service or at least have their deadlines pushed back. This is a very encouraging incentive for players in the region because it allows them to focus on their career more.

As of now, South Korea is already initiating tryouts for the upcoming event, with members of the Spring Championship team – T1 – all being invited for tryouts. Other top players from various teams are also invited to try out, so we might see another mash up of talents. Individual skills will be the basis for who will be a part of the upcoming event, but many have expressed that the region should just send the T1 members to retain the competitive level of a team that played together.

3. Taiwan & Hong Kong

Taiwan and Hong Kong are two regions that are vying for the chance to participate in the Asian Games. Since China, as the host country, is automatically qualified in the games, both have the chance to get into the tournament. Last time, it was Chinese Taipei that made it as the 3rd East Asian representative, so we might see their comeback into the Asian Games 2022 League of Legends tournament as another top team.

Hong Kong has a lot of talented players as well, with the country representing some of the biggest names in the PCS. Even though Taiwan has more professional players than them, they still manage to hold their own against the best players in the league. We can expect both countries to put up a challenge and make it difficult for the other regions to compete against them and qualify in the upper bracket of the tournament.

Which Countries Will Play in the Asian Games?

The Asian Games’ qualification system allows for eight teams, distributed by region, to qualify. The host country gets 1 seed, East Asia gets 3 seeds, Southeast Asia gets 1 seed, Central Asia gets 1 seed, West Asia gets 1 seed, and South Asia gets 1 seed. Last time, the participates were Indonesia (Host), South Korea (East Asia #1), China (East Asia #2), Chinese Taipei (East Asia #3), Vietnam (Southeast Asia), Kazakhstan (Central Asia), Saudi Arabia (West Asia), and Pakistan (South Asia).

It was China who ended up winning the Gold Medal after defeating South Korea 3-1. This year, it is unsure which countries will be included in the games, but with China getting a free pass in the tournament, we’re sure that it’s going to look interesting in the East Asian side of the tournament. This means that the level of competition in the event will only be increased since we’re getting another top team from the region.