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Commonwealth Games will test run its first esports competition in 2022

A brand new Commonwealth Esports Championships event will take place alongside the Commonwealth Games this year.

Morgan Shaver

February 9, 2022 10:06 AM

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The 2022 Commonwealth Games will test run an esports competition for the first time called the Commonwealth Esports Championships. Dame Louise Martin, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, stated the following in regards to the Commonwealth Esports Championships:

“I am delighted that we are announcing the first Commonwealth Esports Championships and Commonwealth Esports Forum to take place in Birmingham this summer. Esports is continuing to grow dramatically in terms of popularity and participation, particularly amongst young people, and we are continuing to look at ways to explore how it can align with the Commonwealth Sports Movement.”

Martin went on to say, “[The] Commonwealth Esports Championships provides an excellent opportunity to pilot esports close to the Commonwealth Games. This will allow us to review the long-term relationship between the Commonwealth Games and esports as we continue to evolve and explore future editions of our event and what they could look like.”

The Commonwealth Games is an international sporting event held every four years featuring athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. Also known as the Commonwealth, the Commonwealth of Nations comprises 54 member states including Australia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Pakistan, to name just a few.

During the event, there are a wide variety of areas for athletes to compete in from diving and cycling to weightlifting and wrestling. However in 2022, the Commonwealth Games will branch out into new territory with a different category of competition that’s less focused on physical performance, and more focused on mental acuity – gaming.

Because this is intended as a trial run, there won’t be medals awarded to participants of the Commonwealth Esports Championships, though organizers are hopeful the event will grow into a medal discipline come the next Commonwealth Games in 2026.

The games you can expect to see during the Commonwealth Esports Championships have yet to be revealed, however, outlets like The Daily Mail have noted that Dota 2 could be one of the games that esports athletes compete in.

While we wait for more to be revealed about the event, we find ourselves eagerly looking forward to seeing what the Commonwealth Esports Championships will look like during the 2022 Commonwealth Games which is set to take place from July 28 through August 8 in Birmingham, England.

Morgan Shaver

Senior Editor

Morgan is a writer from the frozen wastelands of Maine who enjoys metal music, kpop, horror, and indie games. They're also a Tetris fanatic who's fiercely competitive in games like Tetris 99... and all games in general. But mostly Tetris. You can follow Morgan on Twitter @Author_MShaver.