KUALA LUMPUR, 15 April 2018:
E-sports athletes are not exempt from following routines just like any other national athlete, and must adhere to the disciplinary rules set by the National Sports Council (NSC).
NSC director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail said e-sports can no longer be considered just a social activity, but rather a sporting discipline which could bring glory to the country.
“Once they are selected as national athletes, NSC will prepare a more specific training programme for them to participate at the international-level.
“It is a process to prepare athletes just like other sports. E-sports is no longer a social activity but a professional sport. When it is a sport, athletes need to know that the most important elements are mental strength and physical fitness.
“An e-sports athlete must be disciplined just like any other athlete. We did the same for snooker and billiards athletes, and we achieve the required standard. So e-Sports should go through the same (process).”
After the launch of the national e-sports athletes selection programme at the E-Sports Stadium, in Setapak here, yesterday, Ahmad Shapawi stressed that e-sports athletes should also take care of their discipline, nutrition and health once they were included in the national camp.
Electronic Sports Malaysia (ESM) will be selecting athletes for the national squad through a competition which will take place in Ipoh, Perak, in conjunction with the Malaysia Games (Sukma) this September.
The competition involves 15,000 entrants from 14 states, and 30 e-sports clubs from universities and colleges across the country.
The champions will represent the country in international competitions and participate in a year-long Ee-sports athlete development programme organised by NSC and ESM.
Among the popular games in the sport are Dota 2, FIFA 18 and Counterstrike.
– Bernama