News & Media

Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, 21 April 2023 – On April 22, the Japan eSports Union (JeSU) and the AESF together with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) co-hosted the Road to Asian Games Festival in Aichi-Nagoya. 

The festival is part of the Road to Asian Games Program, a joint initiative by the OCA and the AESF, aimed at supporting and facilitating the participation and preparations for the Esports Program the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, where Esports will make its debut as an official medal sport.

The festival was attended by top Esports officials and athletes from South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, and Japan, who expressed their enthusiasm for the upcoming Asian Games. The apex of the festival was an exhibition tournament of "Street Fighter V," one of the games to be featured at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Participants in the exhibition match were representatives who will also be competing at the Asian Games, making the competition a thrilling preview of the intense gameplay expected in September.

Hideaki Omura, the Governor of Aichi Prefecture, officiated the opening ceremony of the festival, joined by high profile guests such as Mr. Jeans Zhou, Media Director of OCA, and Mr. Sebastian Lau, Director General of AESF. During the ceremony, Mr. Zhou and Mr. Lau delivered remarks expressing their expectations for the development of the Esports industry in the Asian region, as well as for Aichi- Nagoya, the host city of the 2026 Asian Games.

“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone involved in making this event a success. This has been an incredible showcase of the best in Esports talent from across Asia and a true celebration of the passion and dedication of the Esports community,” said AESF Director General, Sebastian Lau.

“As we look back on the past few days, I am filled with a sense of pride and optimism for the future of Esports. This festival has demonstrated that Esports is a vibrant and dynamic industry that is set to grow in the years to come. We will continue to work tirelessly to promote Esports and support the development of the Esports community in Asia and around the world. Thank you again for your unwavering support, and I look forward to seeing you all at the RDAG Regionals.”

In June, the OCA and AESF will hold an Esport tournament, the RDAG Regionals, leading up to the Esports Final at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on Saturday, September 23. 

Road to Asian Games Festival Aichi Nagoya Exhibition Match Results

Match 1: Chris Wong (Chinese Taipei) 2 vs 1 Gamerbee (Hong Kong)

Match 2: vicinalcorgi (Korea) 2 vs 1 KAWANO (Japan)

Match 3: Hotdog29 (Chinese Taipei) 2 vs 0 MAGO (Japan)

Match 4: M.Lizard (Korea) 0 vs 2 Oil King (Hong Kong)

Watch the full stream at bit.ly/rdagfestnagoya