PUTRAJAYA, March 16 (Bernama) -- Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli Abd Halim is expecting electronic sports (e-sports) to contribute to Malaysia's medal tally at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
He also said that the Malaysia Esports League (MEL), Esports Integrated (ESI), and the Malaysian Esports Federation (MESF) have started preparing for next year's Asian Games by training athletes capable of mounting a challenge in Japan.
"There are many game titles that are not widely played or heard of in Malaysia, but MESF, supported by ESI, MEL, and the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS), is committed to developing grassroots players who have the potential for these lesser-played games at the Asian Games.
"We want to maximise participation as e-sports is one of our strengths. We have experience, so we are confident that with focus and more collaboration with stakeholders, we can bring home more medals from the Asian Games," he told reporters in the presence of MESF president Muhammad Naim Al-Amin at the PUBG MOBILE Super League (PMSL) SEA Spring 2025 Final here today.
Adam’s expectations are bolstered by experience garnered by previous national e-sports squads in such tournaments and the country’s strength in several e-sports categories.
Eleven e-sports events will be contested at the 2026 Asian Games - Competitive Martial Arts (Team), Pokémon Unite, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, PUBG Mobile (Asian Games Version), Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Identity V (Asian Games Version), Naraka: Bladepoint, Gran Turismo 7, eFootball Series, and Puyo Puyo Champions.
The events were announced by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) in February following an OCA Executive Board emergency online meeting, which unanimously approved the inclusion of e-sports in the 2026 Asian Games.
-- BERNAMA
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