‘Exponentially larger’ World Cup in Riyadh to elevate Esports to new heights, says tournament CEO

Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. AN video
Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. AN video
Short Url
Updated 27 June 2024
Follow

‘Exponentially larger’ World Cup in Riyadh to elevate Esports to new heights, says tournament CEO

Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. AN video
  • 8-week tournament a ‘leap forward’ for global gaming, organizers say
  • ‘Unprecedented’ broadcasting network will ensure expanded global coverage

Riyadh: In a significant leap for the global gaming industry, Riyadh is set to host the Esports World Cup, which promises new levels of competition and cultural exchange.

Building on the success of previous events such as Gamers8, the new tournament aims to elevate esports to new heights.

Arab News interviewed Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, ahead of the event to explore the global impact of the tournament on the gaming industry and beyond.

“We don’t want to be just another competition. Our goal is to leapfrog the industry and bring it together on a scale never seen before,” he said.

“With 22 competitions and 21 games, this is not just twice as big as anything before — it’s exponentially larger.”

Reichert highlighted Riyadh’s strategic location as a bridge between the West and the Middle East, creating a unique opportunity to unite gamers from both regions.

The eight-week event will celebrate the sport and its culture, pushing the entire industry forward, he said.

The CEO said there is a clear vision for the tournament, but executing it on this scale was daunting.

“Time was our biggest enemy,” he said. Despite this, strong support from publishers, a comprehensive qualification strategy, and numerous broadcasting partnerships have been secured.

“If you haven’t heard about it yet, our job is to make sure you do,” he added, emphasizing their commitment to broadening the event’s reach.

The response to the tournament has been overwhelmingly positive, with significant interest from broadcasting and media partners.

“We initially aimed for 15 games, but we’re starting with 21, featuring the best games in the world,” Reichert said.

Global esports supporters have rallied behind the event, resulting in more than 50 broadcasting partners worldwide.

“We’ve built an unprecedented broadcasting network, ensuring true global coverage from companies across the US, India, Africa, South America, Korea, and China.”

Reichert also discussed the thriving gaming culture in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East.

“About 67 percent of the Saudi population identifies as gamers. Gaming is a core cultural pillar here,” though the world may not fully realize this yet, he said.

The region’s young population and leadership are highly supportive of gaming, backed by initiatives such as Vision 2030, and the national gaming and esports strategy. 

Saudi Arabia has already produced several gaming champions, and the CEO sees the Esports World Cup as a catalyst for nurturing more local talent.

“This tournament is a chance for fans to see the best gamers live and for aspiring players to envision themselves on these stages,” he said.

The event aims to inspire young gamers to pursue their dreams of becoming national and even global stars, helping to further popularize esports worldwide.

In a message to gaming fans, the CEO encouraged everyone in the region to attend the event. 

“You’ll witness the best sport in the world played live and experience fantastic gaming, esports, and cultural entertainment. This is more than just a tournament— it’s a fanfest. We call it the Esports World Cup Festival, a historic moment you don’t want to miss. If you can’t be there in person, make sure to tune in online.”


Al-Qurashi, Mustafa win at Saudi Toyota Championship

Al-Qurashi, Mustafa win at Saudi Toyota Championship
Updated 6 sec ago
Follow

Al-Qurashi, Mustafa win at Saudi Toyota Championship

Al-Qurashi, Mustafa win at Saudi Toyota Championship

RIYADH: The first contest of the 2024 Saudi Toyota Karting Championship concluded at the Dirab Karting Circuit in Riyadh on Saturday with Abdulrazzaq Suleiman Al-Qurashi and Malik Firas Mustafa winning the junior and senior categories respectively.

The one-day event, with eight drivers participating, was organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation.

It was sponsored by Jameel Motorsports and Saudi Investment Bank, in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports.

In the junior category at the FunXtreme track, Al-Qurashi finished first in 1 hour, 1 minute, 7 seconds, while Tameem Firas Mustafa came second in 1:02.22.

Mustafa won the senior category in 59.79, Khalid Abdullah Al-Zaid came second in 59.778, and Lyth Maher Momenah third in 59.896.


Sharjah Self-Defense crowned winners at Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship

Sharjah Self-Defense crowned winners at Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Updated 17 min 22 sec ago
Follow

Sharjah Self-Defense crowned winners at Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship

Sharjah Self-Defense crowned winners at Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship
  • MOD UAE finished second, Al-Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club third in the 3-day competition which concluded on Sunday night

SHARJAH: Sharjah Self-Defense Sports Club came out on top on the final day of the Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship – Round 3 No-Gi, held at Al-Bait Metwahid in Sharjah.

Sunday’s showdowns featured under-16 and youth matchups, with MOD UAE in second and Al-Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club in third.

Issa Hilal Al-Hazami, chairman of the Sharjah Sports Council, said they were proud to host the event. “The strong participation in a championship that holds such a special name is a great sign of the sport’s continuous growth.”

“The support from families plays a big role in the success of these athletes,” he added.

“We are proud to see them making steady progress towards their dreams, which aligns with the country’s vision of empowering young people and giving them the best opportunities to excel.”

Mohamed Hussain Al-Marzooqi, director of marketing and corporate communications at the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said the results highlighted the strength of the sport in the country.

“This championship plays a crucial role in empowering young athletes and developing their skills,” he said.

“The under-16 and youth categories are the future of jiu-jitsu, and their impressive performances show their dedication to building a strong professional career and representing their country in future competitions.”


Motor Racing-Hamilton reveals long battle with depression in Times interview

Motor Racing-Hamilton reveals long battle with depression in Times interview
Updated 30 September 2024
Follow

Motor Racing-Hamilton reveals long battle with depression in Times interview

Motor Racing-Hamilton reveals long battle with depression in Times interview
  • Hamilton said he has battled with depression as an adult, and has found it difficult to open up about his journey

Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton battled with depression for years from an early age as he dealt with the pressure of pursuing a career in motor racing and faced bullying at school, the 39-year-old told The Times in an interview.
Hamilton, who has been racing competitively since he was six, said he has also battled with depression as an adult, and has found it difficult to open up about his journey.
“I think it was the pressure of the racing and struggling at school. The bullying. I had no one to talk to,” Hamilton said in the interview published on Saturday.
“I’ve struggled with mental health through my life, depression from a very early age when I was, like, 13... when I was in my twenties I had some really difficult phases.”
Hamilton made his Formula One debut in 2007 when he was 21, becoming the first Black driver in the series. He won the championship next year and matched Michael Schumacher’s record of seven championships in 2020.
The Briton said he felt more mature today than he was earlier in his career.
“You’re learning about things that have been passed down to you from your parents, noticing those patterns, how you react to things, how you can change those,” he said.
“So what might have angered me in the past doesn’t anger me today. I am so much more refined.”
Hamilton said he has tried silent retreats to improve his mental health, and while talking to a therapist years ago did not help, he would like to find one in the future.
The Mercedes driver, who is set to join Ferrari next year, is sixth in the championship, with the next race set for Austin next month. (Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; editing by Miral Fahmy)


England cricket team to arrive in Pakistan on Oct. 2 for three-match Test series

England cricket team to arrive in Pakistan on Oct. 2 for three-match Test series
Updated 30 September 2024
Follow

England cricket team to arrive in Pakistan on Oct. 2 for three-match Test series

England cricket team to arrive in Pakistan on Oct. 2 for three-match Test series
  • All three Test matches are part of the World Test Championship cycle 
  • Pakistan have not won a Test match at home since February 2021

ISLAMABAD: England’s cricket team will arrive in Pakistan during the wee hours of Oct. 2 to play a three-match Test series in the country, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Sunday, as the South Asian country desperately searches for a win at home. 

The first Test match between the two sides will be played in Multan from Oct. 7-11 while the second match will also be played at the same venue from Oct. 15-19. The third match of the series will take place in Rawalpindi from Oct. 24-28. 

The three-match series is part of the World Test Championship cycle. After getting whitewashed by Bangladesh at home this month, Pakistan are placed at number eight on the points table just ahead of West Indies. 

 “The England men’s cricket team will arrive in the wee hours of 2 October,” the PCB said in a statement on Sunday. 

The PCB said Pakistan’s cricket team will assemble in Multan on Oct. 1 where they will hold training sessions from Oct. 2. Pakistan captain Shan Masood will hold his pre-series media conference at the National Bank Stadium on Sept. 30. 

After a string of disappointing losses at home, most recently to minnows Bangladesh, the South Asian country is searching for a win. Pakistan last won a Test match at home in February 2021 when they beat South Africa by 95 runs at Rawalpindi. 

Pakistan have a busy cricket schedule in the months to come, with the green shirts scheduled to play an away white-ball series against Australia in November before playing another white-ball series against Zimbabwe in November/December. 

The green shirts will then tour South Africa for a T20, ODI and Test series in December and January before they host the West Indies for a Test series the same month.

Pakistan’s recent lackluster performances in all three formats of the game have invited scathing criticism from cricket experts and fans alike. Both have blamed a lack of quality pitches and infrastructure in the country for Pakistan’s hapless performances while many also point to frequent changes in the PCB’s management and a lack of unity in the team for Pakistan’s losses. 

Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), and Shaheen Shah Afridi, Zahid Mehmood.

England squad: Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
 


Three things we learned from the England-Australia ODI series

Three things we learned from the England-Australia ODI series
Updated 33 min 32 sec ago
Follow

Three things we learned from the England-Australia ODI series

Three things we learned from the England-Australia ODI series
  • Inexperienced England gave Australia a scare by leveling three-match series 2-2 before losing
  • England stand-in skipper Harry Brook emerges leading run-scorer for either side during series 

LONDON: Australia completed a 3-2 one-day international series victory over England with a 49-run win in a rain-shortened clash at Bristol on Sunday.

But an inexperienced England 50-over team gave the world champions a scare by levelling the series at 2-2 after a pair of thumping defeats.

Below AFP Sport looks at some of the taking points to have emerged from an intriguing campaign between the arch-rivals.

Travis Head, having the time of his cricketing life after hundreds in both Australia’s World Test Championship and World Cup final wins over India last year, was a thorn in England’s side with both bat and ball.

Blessed with an admirable temperament, as well as skill, his match-winning 154 not out in the 1st ODI at Trent Bridge set him up for a series return of 248 runs at an average of nearly 83 in four innings.

Quite where opponents should bowl to left-handed opener Head in this kind of form is something of a mystery, with the 30-year-old demonstrating his value as a back-up spinner with an ODI-best 4-28 at Bristol.

England stand-in captain Harry Brook was the leading run-scorer on either side this series with 312 runs in five innings at an average of 78, including a maiden and match-winning ODI century at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday, an 87 that paved the way for a colossal 186-run success at Lord’s on Friday and 72 at Bristol.

By his own admission this series saw Brook discover the “tempo” for ODI batting, with Australia coach Andrew McDonald saying after the 25-year-old Yorkshireman’s 110 in Durham: “He’s going to give us some headaches over the journey.”

Although Brook was deputising as captain this series in place of the injured Jos Buttler, he demonstrated a feel for the job that suggested England might gain from appointing him as ODI skipper on a full-time basis.

He also learned a valuable lesson when, following England’s seven-wicket loss in the series opener, he tried to explain some loose dismissals by saying: “If you get caught somewhere on the boundary or in the field then who cares?

Brook, however, clearly cares about whether England win or lose.

Playing cricket in England this late in September was always going to be a risk, with three matches this series cut short by bad weather.

But while sports fans are used to braving the cold and wet for 90 minutes at a football match, it’s asking a lot for them to be exposed to similar conditions for hours on end, as happened repeatedly in a series featuring day/night games as well as Sunday’s chilly climax.

Brook, asked about a quick turnaround before he travels with England on Tuesday for a Test series in Pakistan, replied: “I’m alright with it. I’m off to a hot country. It’s bloody freezing here, it’s horrible.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board might do well to remember that many fans don’t have the option of flying away to a warmer climate.