In a competition widely watched by Olympic organisers, China earned the first Esports gold medal of the Asian Games on Tuesday. Hong Kong star Siobhan Haughey lighted up the Hangzhou pool with a second freestyle gold.
- China won the inaugural Esports gold medal at the Asian Games.
- In the "Arena of Valour," China defeated Malaysia.
- Esports is vying for a spot in the Olympics.
In a competition widely monitored by Olympic officials, China earned the first esports gold medal of the Asian Games on Tuesday. Hong Kong star Siobhan Haughey lit up the Hangzhou pool with a second freestyle gold.
Five years after being a demonstration sport at the Jakarta Asian Games, a team of five Chinese gamers defeated Malaysia to win the title in the "Arena of Valour" tournament. This victory helped esports advance its case for Olympic inclusion.
Since 2021, China's government has restricted how much time kids can spend playing video games.
But in the Hangzhou Esports Centre, tens of thousands of home supporters went wild as China defeated Malaysia 2-0 in a best-of-three match for the well-known smartphone game.
The participants used headsets to interact during a 45-minute game while tapping quickly on their phones while loud music and live commentary played in the background. This may have seemed strange to sports purists.
Thailand earlier won the first esports medal of the competition by defeating Vietnam for the bronze.
Hong Kong's Haughey has been a pillar of resistance despite China dominating the first days of the swimming and the Games in general.
A day after winning the 200-meter title, the former British colony's first Olympic swimming medalist sprinted to victory in the 100-meter freestyle.
Haughey beat China's Yang Junxuan, who finished in second place, with a swim that set an Asian record. This put pressure on Mollie O'Callaghan, the world champion teenager from Australia, who swam the fastest time of the year in a relay leg at Fukuoka with a time of 52.08.
The 25-year-old Haughey, who won silver in the 100 and 200 at the COVID-delayed 2020 Olympics, claimed, "I haven't swum a best time since Tokyo."
It simply demonstrates that I have not yet reached my pinnacle.
