Indonesia to Host IESF Esports World Championship in 2022

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia has been officially chosen as the host of the 14th Esports World Championship in Bali in 2022 from among seven countries that lined up a bid to host the tournament.

Indonesia's selection was announced by the president of the International Esports Federation (IESF), Vlad Marinescu, at the IESF Ordinary General Meeting in Eliat on Friday.

The meeting was attended by member of the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) delegation, Desra Firza Ghazfan.

Indonesia's successful bid for hosting the tournament was the result of sports diplomacy carried out by KOI and the synergy of national federations, officials said.

In September, KOI chairman Raja Sapta Oktohari met Marinescu in Budapest, which resulted in Tommy Hermawan Lo's appointment to the IESF board.

Oktohari enthusiastically welcomed the IESF's decision.

"Since the beginning, we have been instructed by President Joko Widodo to bring more international events to Indonesia, and one of them is esports," he remarked.

He then expressed the hope that the implementation of the IESF 14th Esports World Championship in Indonesia would encourage the development of the domestic esports industry.

Moreover, the event will be held in Bali, which is famous for its past and modern cultural traditions, he said.

"The scope of esports is very broad. Thus, through the world championship, we can reach more audiences to promote and prove that Indonesia can host an international tournament well," the KOI chairman added.

The same sentiment was conveyed by the daily head of the Indonesian Esports Executive Board (PBESI), Bambang Sunarwibowo.

The convening of the tournament in Bali will be a driving force for the development of the esports industry as well as a milestone for Indonesia’s history in esports, he said.

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"The global competition will be participated by more than 100 countries, which are members of the IESF,” he added.

Meanwhile, Marinescu said Bali is ideal for hosting the IESF 14th Esports World Championship as Indonesia has extraordinary esports teams, which have been growing for a long time.

In addition, the professionalism of KOI and its team, as well as the PBESI is also one of the reasons Indonesia was chosen to host the tournament, he said.

"We have carried out a four-month bidding process with strict paperwork to ensure the implementation of the world championship will run safely for the athletes," he informed.

The IESF 14th Esports World Championship will be held in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, from November 20–27, 2022.

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