ESFI Director believes 2025 Asian Youth Games is a great opportunity for grassroots talent development

Esports has now been announced as a medal event at the upcoming 3rd Asian Youth Games that is set to take place in October this year in Bahrain. Celebrating the inclusion of eSports, the Director of the Esports Federation of India (ESFI), Lokeshi Suji, expressed his excitement, calling this another incredible opportunity for India.

“The Asian Youth Games is another prestigious platform that has now recognised eSports as a competitive discipline. With Esports already being part of the Asian Games as a medal sport, this move will pave the way for greater opportunities and support for grassroots and talent identification of esports athletes and help to build a holistic esports ecosystem for competitive gaming,” Suji said.

Heading into an esports event and securing a spot on the podium further encourages others to do the same, allowing the grounded esports community in India to grow. This also encourages gamers to try a variety of games and choose what they feel is correct to move forward with.

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Here are all the medal events for the 3rd Asian Youth Games

Athletics
Badminton
Basketball
Equestrian
E-Sports
Futsal
Golf
Handball
Judo
Jujitsu
Mixed Martial Arts
Cycling (Road)
Swimming
Table Tennis
Taekwondo
Triathlon
Wrestling
Weight Lifting
Kabbadi
Volleyball
Teqball

While other events have seen a taste of eSports from time to time, this will be the first for the Asian Youth Games. Since the last few years, India has been slowly making its move toward international esports with multiple top-three finishes across games.

Most recently, India secured a silver medal in Tekken 8 at the BRICS Esports Championship thanks to YoshiKiller (Wasfi) and a bronze secured by Mr. Tomboy at the Asian Esports Games 2024. The recent announcement gives both the players and the country another chance to shine on an international stage.