SportSG’s Mr Tan said the plan to host more events here goes beyond just e-sports itself, and applies to traditional sports too.
“I think we are always looking out for events that can uplift the social and the sporting economic outcomes for Singapore,” he said.
ATTRACTING A GLOBAL AUDIENCE
While SportSG said it is looking to hold more e-sports events here, such as virtual boxing and other video games, key stakeholders in the sector have also highlighted other benefits.
Singapore is currently hosting one of the biggest video gaming tournaments in the world in The International, an annual multi-million dollar Dota 2 world championship event. Last year’s edition saw players competing for more than US$40 million in total prize money.
This year, the tournament is being held in Singapore for the first time, with playoffs taking place earlier in October while the Singapore Indoor Stadium will host the grand finals this coming weekend.
Mr Roy Kek, chief executive officer and co-founder of EMERGE Esports, a Singapore-based professional gaming and e-sports talent management firm, said spectators have come from around the world to watch the tournament, giving a boost to local tourism and businesses.
“We don’t just have Singaporeans who attend our events. We also have many foreigners who came down as well,” he said.
He added that hosting such a major event would hopefully provide a sense of pride and ownership to Singaporeans – and generate hype comparable to other key sports events such as the Olympic Games.