The 2022 Asian Games are scheduled to be held in China, but news has emerged recently that the event could be postponed to next year. This will be sad news for sports and esports fans. Having been a successful demo event in the last release, this year’s iteration was supposed to be a major benchmark for all future events. While the event cannot be canceled, a one-year delay would be disappointing.
The 2022 Asian Games were a milestone for esports and everyone involved. This year’s edition is expected to be the first esports edition as a medal category in its own right. In doing so, the event will become the first international sporting event to embrace digitalization into the mainstream. However, all hopes and aspirations could suffer a major setback if the recent news is to be believed.
COVID-19 could delay the 2022 Asian Games, which were due to include esports in the medal category
The news came from Agence France-Presse and published by Barron’s website, and it portends sad news to fans around the world. The Asian Games is an Olympic-level event where all the countries of Asia compete against each other. So far, the events have been purely sporting, but the 2022 Asian Games would have seen the fights spill over to virtual platforms.
However, plans for this may be pushed back to 2023. Hangzhou is due to host the 2022 Asian Games, and the region’s proximity to Shanghai is a major cause for concern. Shanghai is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, and is experiencing one of the worst outbreaks of COVID-19 in recent times.
China’s largest city, which has a population of more than 25 million, is imposing strict lockdown measures to curb the outbreak. Hangzhou is less than 200 kilometers from Shanghai, which could make the event very risky unless there is a significant reduction in the number of infections.
It should be noted that no final decision has been made yet. All stakeholders review the options available to ensure there is no panic as the event approaches. Being late will be much easier than being late, and it will help all athletes prepare better.
Kuwaiti Hussain Al-Musallam, CEO of the Asian Games, raised the possibility of a postponement while they considered the decision.
The committee has not taken any official decision yet, but it may be postponed.
It will not be very interesting for all involved, especially for esports, as fans and athletes have high expectations. It would also be disappointing for Hangzhou as all venues have been completed.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 situation may inadvertently cause the 2022 Asian Games to be delayed. This means fans will have to wait a year or more to see countries compete in games like PUBG Mobile and League of Legends.
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