Team Thailand clinched its first medal in an esports competition at the 19th Asian Games on Tuesday (26 Sep) after defeating Vietnam for the bronze in the ‘Arena of Valor’ tournament.
The players that won Thailand its first esports medal at the Asian Games include Sorawat Boonphrom, Anusak Manpdong, Chayut Suebka, Vatcharanan Thaworn and Kawee Wachiraphas. The five athletes, competing as a team in the tournament, won against their Vietnam counterparts 2-0 in the best-of-three match and won the bronze for the kingdom.
China took gold after defeating Malaysia 2-0 in the tournament finals.
Arena of Valor is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game that was included as a competitive event for the first time at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Since their introduction as a demonstration sport in 2018, this is the first time that esports medals will count towards a country’s total in the Asian Games.
Its inclusion has served to draw widespread attention to the category, especially among youths, and could lead to esports being included in the Olympic Games in the future. (NNT)
