VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

E-sports athletes compete in the Lokapala gaming branch during the semifinal of the 2021 E-sports President's Cup grand final series in Nusa Dua, Badung, Bali on December 18, 2021. The competition was organized to identify Indonesian talent for world-level competitions while developing games made in Indonesia. (ANTARA PHOTO/Fikri Yusuf/pras/KT) - 

IESF World E-sports Championship, which will start on November 27, 2022, is expected to contribute to the sports tourism sector, chairman of the Indonesian E-sports Executive Board (PBESI) Bambang Sunarwibowo said.

It is hoped that the selection of Bali as the location and host of the international match would help develop sports tourism in the country, he added.

"Hence, the e-sports ecosystem in Indonesia will develop well, and we hope this can also raise international impressions on Indonesia," he said at a virtual press conference here on Friday.

According to Sunarwibowo, the hope to enhance the country's e-sports ecosystem emerged from the projection that about 1,500 participants from more than 120 countries will take part in the IESF World E-sports Championship.

He highlighted that e-sports have become part of Indonesian society, with about 52 million Indonesians participating in the ecosystem, including athletes, enthusiasts, and young people.

Seeing the Indonesian society's huge interest in e-sports, it is hoped that the ecosystem can be further built and developed, he said.

According to Sunarwibowo, the IESF World E-sports Championship has become an important agenda in the PBESI's great design for 2022, which will be one of the major milestones in the history of e-sports development in Indonesia.

To ensure the success of the event, he said PBESI is coordinating with all parties to guarantee readiness from many aspects, starting from location and accommodation, management to athlete conditions.

If the preparations receive great evaluations by the organizer, IESF, Indonesia will gain confidence for the future and have a better chance to host the international event, he explained.

“PBSEI, which is very young, only two years old, really hope to be able to hold this international event well," he remarked.

He also said that the world championship is not only important for e-sports development but also for accelerating the national economy, especially in the digital creative and tourism industry//ANT