The sports department in Madhya Pradesh, India, has decided to reserve 80% of the seats in the country’s first online gaming academy for players from the state. The remaining 20% will be available for players from outside Madhya Pradesh. This esports academy, set to launch in August, aims to attract gamers from all over India. Registrations are now open for a talent search to select players for the academy.
Also read: Popular Esports Game Fortnite has been added to Olympic Esports Week 2023
MP Open Online Gaming Championship: Launching the Path to Esports Excellence
Before the launch of the academy, the inaugural MP Open Online Gaming Championship will be held from July 27. Players can register for the championship until July 23. The championship will also serve as a talent hunt to identify potential players for the esports academy.
The sports minister, Yashodhara Raje Scindia, emphasized the significance of the esports academy, as esports has been recognized as one of the medal events in the upcoming Asian Games. Selected players will receive free coaching and other support at the academy for one year. The academy’s seats will be divided, with 80% reserved for players from Madhya Pradesh and 20% allocated to players from other parts of India.
The sports department has ensured that the esports academy will have all the facilities available at the existing sports academies. Back in 2005, the department had planned to make Madhya Pradesh a leader in the field of sports.
In 2007, the department established world-class sports academies to identify talented athletes and provide them with top-notch training facilities. The addition of the esports academy is a significant step forward, according to the sports minister.
Interestingly, esports has been officially recognized as a medal sport for the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. This recent announcement highlights the inclusion of esports as one of the newly added sports for the upcoming games. Esports will have its official debut as a medal sport at the Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou, where India will compete in four different games: DOTA 2, FIFA 22, Street Fighter V, and League of Legends. The Asian Games will take place from September 23 to October 8.
