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The 15th and 16th of June saw Esports athletes representing over 50 universities across the country congregate at Stein Studios to compete for a place in the grand finals of Gamer.LK’s Inter-University Esports Championship powered by Sri Lanka Telecom. All regions across Sri Lanka were represented, from government universities such as the University of Moratuwa, Peradeniya, Jaffna and Sabaragamuwa, to private universities such as APIIT, NSBM, IIT, ICBT and the defending champions SLIIT as well as many others. 700 Esports athletes signed up to compete.

After two days of nail biting Esports, chants and cheering, wins and losses, encounters between seasoned veterans and amateurs alike, fueled by the energy of the Esports commentators and fans, the Championship drew to a close with SLIIT and IIT being chosen as the worthy competitors for the Grand Finals.

With the spotlight now shining on the Esports teams from SLIIT and IIT, both teams got busy with practice for the grand finals. Winning the largest university-level sporting event in Sri Lanka requires passion and dedication, and the Esports athletes from both universities took it to heart in their preparations.

Conceptualised as a university-level big-match, the grand finals included a unique digital entertainment experience with music and performances by mainstream artists intertwined with Esports matches. The audience was able to take in the intense Esports action alongside engaging giveaways by event sponsors.

The two universities were given 4 titles to perform in, with a 5th title being introduced in the event of a tie breaker. Both universities put forward their best talent for each game title – Mario Kart women’s, DOTA 2, Call of Duty and PUBG Mobile.

Sri Lanka’s leading percussion band NAADRO opened the day with their ground-shaking beat, getting everyone ready for the battle to come. Dhanith Sri and DRILL Team highlighted the afternoon with their performances.

MARIO KART
Games kicked-off with Mario Kart, the world famous go-kart-style racing video game. The two female contestants take each other head on in a best of 3 encounter where the contestant from SLIIT, Nadeeshani Jayasinghe more commonly known by her gaming name Foxy, cruised to victory against IIT’s Imanthi Jayakody marking SLIIT’s first win of the day and putting them ahead in the Championship.

DOTA 2

Up next, Dota 2 – the popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game.
The two teams from SLIIT and IIT took their time to plan out their strategy in the game during the initial phase also known as the draft phase of the match. Thereafter the action began with the match going both ways close to an hour as the two teams traded team fights and strategic locations on the map. Showcasing pure talent and an enduring team spirit, the team from IIT eventually came out on top reeling in IIT’s first win of the day and leveling the points at the Championship.

DOTA 2 teams:

IIT:
Pavan Perera
Nigel Gunawardene
Jayath Marasinghe
Thilan Malaka
Kavisha Wijeyasuriya

SLIIT:
Mandula Sugathapala
Uvin Ratnayake
Gamith Medagama
Thisura Weerakkody
Harun Hussein
Nisal Sugathapala
Isuru Masinghe

CALL OF DUTY

Up next was Sri Lanka’s most popular gaming title, Call of Duty 4. The two teams from SLIIT and IIT emerged into the battlefield with the intention of proving their might. The match was closely fought with SLIIT and IIT both showcasing their skill and talent in being the top two Call of Duty university teams in the country. With IIT going into the match as favorites, the match was intense and had moments where the underdogs looked like they would triumph. SLIIT, down one-man from their usual roster due to disciplinary action by the Sri Lanka Esports Association, had to make up for it with smart play and perseverance. IIT eventually managed to edge ahead of their opponents to claim the win. This put IIT ahead in the points table with only one title left to go.

Call of Duty teams

IIT:
Dillon Paulusz
Vishal Perera
Aqeel Sirraj
Toran mayantha
Oshada
Sith Indunil
Dilakshan

SLIIT:
Bhanuka Jayamanna (c)
Rashinda Sandaru
Harry Manoharan
Pinsara Randunu
Nisal nidarsha pathirana

PUBG Mobile
The fourth and final game of the day – PUBG Mobile. IIT was one point away from winning the championship, and SLIIT needed to win this to push into a tie-breaker.

Teams consisting of 25 players from each university jumped into the battlefield and the battle began. Momentum continued to shift back and forth with each passing minute as player by player got eliminated at the hands of an opponent.

After a grueling and nail-biting encounter, the end of the match saw just 5 players left on the map – a lone player from IIT, and 4 from SLIIT. Fighting against the odds and surrounded on all 4 corners, IIT provided the biggest upset as their player held his nerve to take down his SLIIT opponents one by one. The crowd erupted as the players from IIT rushed up on stage to claim what was rightfully theirs – now the Champions of the Inter-University Esports Championship 2019! “IIT, IIT, IIT” the crowd chanted as the trophy was lifted on the main stage.

PUBG M team

IIT:
Pavan Perera
Arshad Azaad
Chamal Lakpriya Perera
Nishara Ramasinghe
M.I.M Ahsan
Prasheen Jonathan
Danidu Codipilly
Janith Kodagoda
Shehan Katukurunda
Rihan fernando
Jawith Afrid
Pasindu ekanayake
Paul Melchi Zedek
Thavindu Lakshitha
Piven Ekanayake
Shehan Katukurunda
Nevjith gavina rathnaweera
Danidu Codipilly
chehan rakitha nonis
Damith Shehan
Vaseekaran
Shashika Yushan
Jayath Marasinghe
Thilan Malaka
Tharindu Maduranga
Kaushika Siyasingha

SLIIT:
Kulasinghe W D K A
Wijenayake A
Madhuwantha K A N
Wijewardana L
Wickramasinghe S M
Anuda D G R
Theeraj S M D
Habishan J
Majeed Z
Kalid A
Weerasinghe C
Giwantha Wijekoon
Thushidan
Fernando S
Wanigathunga C V
Bandara S
Fernando D
Gunasekara O W R L
Pradeep S
Dananjaya Sandakalum
Heashith V
Jayawardena D
Harsha S
Rajapaksha T
Abdul Aziz

Taco Bell awarded a Rs. 5,000 voucher and Taco Bell merchandise to the “Gamer to Taco’bout” – Ravindu De Alwis who pulled of the amazing 1v4 win in PUBG Mobile to secure the title for his university.

The University Esports calendar came to a close with SLIIT conceding their trophy to IIT in a closely fought battle. The trophy will take its place at the IIT premises, until universities will once again rise to the challenge next year as they compete for ultimate glory.

The close of the Inter-University Esports Championship marked the completion of the first of an Esports series, with the Mercantile Esports Championship coming up in August.

The Inter-University Esports Championship was powered by Sri Lanka Telecom, with all games and live streams being run via super-fast SLT Fibre connectivity allowing low latency, lagless gameplay and streaming. Sri Lanka Telecom PLC has been at the forefront of empowering digital entertainment and Esports in Sri Lanka with product offerings catering to gamers in the country.

A trusted brand in the technology sector, DELL was the gaming Laptop partner for the Championship. DELL launched their DELL Gaming line of Laptops at the qualifiers – premium design with thin bezels and lightweight for portability. The DELL G5 and G7 machines have unrivaled power with gaming-grade internals that will pump out fluid graphics with even the most demanding games thrown at them.

Red Bull was the official Energy Drink partner – giving wiiings to the gamers’ Esports sessions and facilitating performance at the next level. Red Bull conducted an engaging competition at the grand finals allowing gamers and spectators to win free Red Bull.

Samsung joined as the Mobile partner featuring the Galaxy A80, the World’s first Rotating Triple Camera with 48 Megapixels. Popular Tech Youtube personality Chanuxbro took the stage to play a friendly game of PUBG Mobile with the audience, and to talk about the new Galaxy A80 phone. Visit https://bingo77usa.com/bingo-promo-codes to find out all relevant information about bingo promo codes. The Galaxy A80 boasts a superior rotating triple camera setup which gives users the same high resolution on both front and rear. It is equipped with a new infinity display which provides uninterrupted viewing so users can enjoy their favourite movies, games and videos. Samsung gave away a brand new galaxy A80 at the Grand Finals to Ishan Maduranga who was the lucky winner of its Facebook competition.

FriMi was the official Digital Banking partner for the event. Ticket and food purchases at the venue were seamless with the FriMi app, along with great cashback offers for all participants paying using FriMi. Enabling today’s youth with an end to end digital experience, from opening their primary banking account to handling all their day to day financial transactions, payments and money management all on their mobile phone.

Taco Bell and Pizza Hut were the official food partners at the event, keeping hungry gamers fed and satisfied with food stalls situated inside the tournament premises.

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