by admin | Jan 31, 2023 | Esports news, SLESA
Sri Lanka’s national Esports team for PUBG MOBILE qualified for the Grand Finals of the 14th World Esports Championships which were held recently. Sri Lanka’s National Team travelled to Bali, Indonesia for the championship. The tournament included some of the world’s best Esports athletes. Over 120 nations competed for a place in the Finals. The event included titles such as PUBG MOBILE, Dota 2, CS:GO, MLBB, Tekken 7, and eFootball 2023.
Mohammed Shihab Rizan represented Sri Lanka in eFootball 2023, and the four-member team for PUBG MOBILE consisted of Haseen ‘Nrcxhaz3n’ Suhaib, Thamara ‘Susthy’ Surendra, Pasan ‘Doom’ Rodrigo, and Harindu ‘Amare’ Amaratunga.
The PUBG MOBILE team consists entirely of players from team NRC, one of the most successful PUBG MOBILE teams in the country. They won the right to represent the nation by competing in the national qualifiers held last April. Before leaving the country, the team won another PUBG MOBILE event, carrying their winning momentum into the international competition. The squad was able to make it to the grand finals after a resilient display of skill and sportsmanship before ending their campaign at the knockout stage.
Mohammed Shihab Rizan is an eFootball pro. He played Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) for Sri Lanka in the Asian Games 2018 Regional Qualifier and he was the Sri Lankan flag bearer for last year’s World Esports Championship opening ceremony competed against the best eFootball players in the world but did not succeed in making it to the finals.
Dialog Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider, has been at the helm of uplifting Esports for over a decade by powering gaming competitions in Sri Lanka. In the recent past, Dialog’s strategic partnership with SLESA has empowered the training and development of vital skills for avid local gamers and help bring structured Esports to all corners of the island. With the widest 4G coverage in Sri Lanka and constantly network optimisations, Dialog delivers on its commitment towards bridging the digital divide by enabling Esports to prosper in the rural peripheries of Sri Lanka. In the last ‘Free Fire Tourney’ organised by SLESA, the winning team emerged from the Moneragala district and was a testament to that commitment.
The Sri Lanka Esports Association was founded in 2010. The Ministry of Youth and Sports in Sri Lanka has recognized the association with its twelve member organisations as the regulating body for Esports in the country.
Gamer.LK, Sri Lanka’s premier Esports company is the Strategic Partner for the National Esports Team. At the forefront of Sri Lanka’s Esports industry, Gamer.LK’s consistent efforts in organising Esports tournaments and activities have caused a rapid growth in Sri Lankan Esports over the last decade.
by admin | Jan 30, 2023 | Esports news, SLESA
Istanbul, Turkey hosted the second edition of the Global Esports Federation’s flagship tournament in December. Sri Lanka had qualified for Street Fighter 5 and eFootball 2023 where Mohammed Shihab Rizan represented Sri Lanka for the second time this year for eFootball. He was accompanied by Vihan Thenuka Nissanka, who represented Sri Lanka in Street Fighter 5.
The Global Esports Federation is a non-governmental organisation that convenes the world’s Esports community and is the organiser of the Global Esports Games (GEG) 2022 that took place from 14th to 18th December, 2022. GEG is a global, multi-title Esports competition partnered with the European Olympics Committee that highlights the exhilaration of Esports with competitions in Dota 2, eFootball 2023, Street Fighter 5, and PUBG Mobile.
“Sri Lanka recognised Esports as an official sport in 2019, and we have been able to officially represent Sri Lanka at a number of global Esports championships, including the Global Esports Games. This is a firm step in the right direction for Sri Lankan Esports athletes as we establish our place in world Esports” – Raveen Wijayatilake, President, Sri Lanka Esports Association
The Sri Lanka Esports Association was initiated by Gamer.LK and four other founding members in 2010. The Ministry of Youth and Sports in Sri Lanka has recognized the association with its twelve member organisations as the regulating body for Esports in the country.
Dialog Axiata is proud to sponsor Sri Lanka’s National Esports teams along with cricket, volleyball and netball. The Company also has a close association with the President’s Gold Cup Volleyball, National Junior and Senior Netball tourneys, Schools Rugby League and Knockout Trophies, Premier Football, Junior Volleyball and Paralympic sports – whilst also powering the Army Para Games, National Para Games and the Sri Lankan contingent to the Olympic and World Paralympic Games.
Gamer.LK, Sri Lanka’s premier Esports company is the Strategic Partner for the National Esports Team. At the forefront of Sri Lanka’s Esports industry, Gamer.LK’s consistent efforts in organising Esports tournaments and activities have caused a rapid growth in Sri Lankan Esports over the last decade.
by admin | Jan 30, 2023 | News
Sri Lanka’s largest mercantile-level sports event, Gamer.LK’s Mercantile Esports Championship ‘22 (MEC 22) powered by SLT-MOBITEL is back for its seventh edition, allowing employees of any organisation in Sri Lanka to compete across 22 Esports titles and be crowned as the best Esports company in Sri Lanka.
MEC 22 has more than 1,400 participants representing over 100 companies from across the island registered to take part, which includes notable companies such as WSO2, Hayleys, Hatton National Bank, Expolanka, OREL, SyscoLabs and many more. The coveted Championship was claimed by Virtusa in 2016 and 2017, MilleniumIT in 2018, Orel IT in 2019 and Global Systems Solutions in 2020 and 2021.
“Forward thinking companies have started including Esports in their sporting calendars and integrating it as a part of their employee welfare activities. Video Games and Esports is one of the fastest growing sports in Sri Lanka and the Mercantile Esports scene has become one of the most competitive in the country.” said Raveen Wijayatilake, CEO InGame Esports & Gamer.LK.
The Championship is powered by SLT-MOBITEL, the National ICT Solutions Provider who has been at the forefront of expanding the digital infrastructure in Sri Lanka, empowering improved access to digital entertainment and Esports across the country.
“SLT-MOBITEL is continuously working towards the aspiration of a digital Sri Lanka by enhancing connectivity and accessibility for all Sri Lankans. With the most expansive fibre coverage in the country, we are now able to offer an unparalleled experience in digital entertainment with the recent introduction of increased bandwidths of 200Mbps download speeds and 100Mbps upload speeds. This super-fast high-speed connectivity will especially be an asset to cyber athletes across the country and help unlock the potential of the Esports ecosystem in Sri Lanka. We are excited to be the title partner for this year’s Championship and we wish all participants the best of luck,” said Prabhath Dahanayake, Group Chief Marketing Officer, SLT-MOBITEL.
Esports has seen a massive spike in interest in Sri Lanka over the past few years as traditional sports came to a standstill due to the pandemic and the situation in the country. Recognised in 2019 as the 70th official sport in Sri Lanka by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Esports continues to grow at a rapid pace and is widely regarded as the country’s ‘fastest-growing sport’.
The Championship kicked off in early January 2023 with matches expected to continue through February. Updates and more information on the Championship can be found on https://mercantile.gamer.lk/.
by admin | Jan 30, 2023 | News
Sri Lanka’s largest university-level sporting event, Gamer.LK’s Inter-University Esports Championship powered by SLT-MOBITEL concluded on a successful note recently with SLIIT emerging as the overall Champions.
Providing participants a chance to represent their companies in Esports, the seventh edition of the Championship saw over 1,200 students from 60+ universities taking part in the month-long online tournament. Participants competed across 16 popular game titles aiming to secure virtual medals similar to the Olympic medal system.
SLIIT emerged victorious with the most gold medals securing 4 gold and 2 silver medals. NSBM was placed second with 3 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals while ESOFT bagged third with 2 gold and 1 silver medal.
In addition, University of Moratuwa, ANC Education, UCL, ACBT, Prima Baking School, University of Jaffna and University of Kelaniya picked up gold medals in the tournament.
“I am ecstatic and proud of SLIIT for being crowned champions in this year’s Gamer.LK’s Inter-University Esports Championship ‘22. The SLIIT team indeed fought hard and played a great game overall. We encourage our students to participate in extracurricular activities in addition to their studies because we believe that this helps them develop into well-rounded members of society and strengthens our position as a premier higher educational institution in Sri Lanka. I’d also like to extend our warm wishes to all of the other teams that competed, as well as those who shared their good wishes and support with our competitors. Congratulating the team on their triumph once more, we would like to reiterate our continued support for our Esports teams in their future endeavours. Further, we would like to express our appreciation to the organisers for hosting this type of competition each year to provide young adults with an opportunity to engage with one another and network outside of the classroom” said Uditha Gamage, the Director Student Services & Outreach of SLIIT.
Esports has seen a massive spike in interest in Sri Lanka over the recent past as traditional sports came to a standstill due to the pandemic and the situation in the country. Recognised in 2019 as the 70th official sport in Sri Lanka by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Esports continues to grow at a rapid pace and is widely regarded as the country’s ‘fastest-growing sport’.
“Gamer.LK’s Inter-University Esports Championship continues to grow in number of participants, as well as the impact it has on the university sports structure in the country. Esports is increasingly becoming a core sport in the University sports line-up, and the numbers and hype shows it. We are very excited at the possibility that the next Esports athlete to represent Sri Lanka and make our mark in the International stage may evolve from the university level.”, said Raveen Wijayatilake, the Founder of Gamer.LK and CEO of InGame Esports.
The Championship was powered by SLT-MOBITEL, the National ICT Solutions Provider who were also the title partner. SLT-MOBITEL has been at the forefront of empowering digital entertainment and Esports in Sri Lanka with a wide range of products and solution catering to gamers in the country.
“We were pleased to have come forward as title sponsor for this year’s Inter-University Esports Championship organised by Gamer.LK. SLT-MOBITEL celebrates gaming as the next frontier of entertainment and the provision of ultra-fast connectivity and HD streaming enables local cyber athletes to unlock their true potential. We congratulate all the winners of this year’s Championship. We aim to continue our unwavering commitment to empower the gaming community, to ensure quality digital lifestyle services for our customers including for game lovers who are digitally native, have a high degree of savviness technologically, and require the best connectivity, which we provide through our network. Also, from 1st of January 2023 onwards, all Fibre users will be able to enjoy super-fast high speed internet connectivity since SLT-MOBITEL is increasing its bandwidth to 200Mbps download speed and 100Mbps upload speed,” stated Prabhath Dahanayake, Group Chief Marketing Officer of SLT.
ViewSonic Gaming was the Official Gaming Monitor of this year’s Championship. ViewSonic, a world-renowned brand with a stellar reputation in the consumer, business and professional monitor markets has introduced its gaming product line; ViewSonic Gaming to Sri Lanka catering to both casual gamers and hardcore Esports athletes alike.
The Championship is set to return for its eighth edition in 2023.
by admin | Jan 18, 2023 | News
Wiley Global Technology, the Sri Lanka-based technology services arm of Wiley International Publications, in partnership with Gamer.LK, hosted the annual Wiley Esports Festival to great success.
The Sri Lankan employees of Wiley came together to compete in what is the fastest growing sport in the country, electronic sports. Over 30 participants took part across 7 titles, with 18 employees winning gold, silver, and bronze medals for their Esports skills.
A number of forward-thinking companies have adopted Esports into their sporting and recreational plans, catering to the rapidly changing interests of their employees. Esports and video games are more popular among millennial and Generation Z employees than traditional sports in certain age groups and social circles.
The Wiley Esports Festival featured seven titles this year. PUBG Mobile’s first place went to Mohamed Sathir. TeamAK47 beat Rhiskey Whiskey for first place in Call of Duty 4. Nadeeshani Jayasinghe snagged gold for Clash Royale and Mario Kart. Dinith Kodithuwakku took first place for NFS Most Wanted, while Chamodi Wijewikkrama won the gold medal for Mortal Kombat, and Dulash Fernando scored gold for Beat Saber and 2nd place for both NFS Most Wanted and Clash Royale, making him the tournament MVP.
