SEPANG, 29 June 2018 – AirAsia has come on board as the Official Airline Partner for the World Electronic Sports Games (WESG) in Asean. The WESG is an international esports championship tournament by Alisports, the sports branch of Alibaba Group.

The sponsorship deal with Agri Mind Sdn Bhd, which includes flights, media value and cash prize is in line with the airline’s commitment to support the region's top talents and reaffirms its effort in digital initiatives including esports.

As the title sponsor, AirAsia’s brand will be integrated across WESG Asean’s digital platforms and tournaments. In addition, the airline will have the the opportunity to offer various ancillary products and services at the event including online store and ticketing agent, among others.

AirAsia Group Berhad Executive Chairman & AirAsia X Group CEO Datuk Kamarudin Meranun said, “In terms of esports enthusiasts, Asean is one of the fastest growing regions in the world with 9.3 million fans, a number expected to grow 36.1% every year through to 2019*. As an innovative digital company, we are thrilled to be the title sponsor and to contribute to esports by supporting Asean's top professional esports athletes to compete at the global tournament. We also believe this sponsorship puts us at the forefront of the expansion of esports across Asean.”

AirAsia Allstars Esports Club President Allan Phang said, “This partnership shows our growing commitment to esports. In January, we marked our first foray into esports as a special sponsor and exclusive airline partner of Mineski Pro Team. Two months later, we acquired a majority stake in Team Saiyan - a top-ranked professional esports team - which we have rebranded as AirAsia Saiyan. And today, we are proud to be able to bring WESG to Asean as we continue to support the region’s esports talents.”

Chairman of Agri Mind Sdn Bhd Calvin Lau said, “Agri Mind is extremely excited to be partnering with the team of dynamic individuals from Alisports and AirAsia to position WESG as the top esports tournament in the Asean region. By supporting grassroots development of the regional esports scene, we aim to nurture a new generation of world-class players with the skills, tenacity and work ethics to take on the best in the world.”

Alisports Founder and CEO Zhang Dazhong said, “WESG has drawn a lot of attention worldwide in the past two years. It is a great honour to have a new premium partner AirAsia to support WESG in the new 2018-2019 season. AirAsia has always been supportive of traditional sports and has now started a new chapter to be part of esports with Alisports’ WESG. We look forward to the WESG in Asean division with our new partner AirAsia.”

The WESG Asean online registration in each country will commence from 1 June to 31 July 2018. These 10 countries will run its own online tournaments followed by national finals (LAN) from 1 August to 30 September. The Asean Regional Grand Finals will be held in November 2018 and the International Grand Finals will be held in March 2019. Participants may register at sea.wesg.com/registration

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*Source:Newzoo 2015 Report, Introduction to the South East Asian Games Market


About World Electronic Sports Games (WESG)

World Electronic Sports Games (WESG) was established in 2016 as an international esports championship tournament by Alisports. WESG currently possesses the highest winning prize of any third-party tournament, and the competition differs greatly from that of other commercial tournaments with WESG focusing on following the Olympic standard, emphasizing on national pride, and encouraging fans to partake in the competition. Players are selected from local and regional competitions to compete at the highest esports stage against other top-tier professional esports gamers.

About Alisports

Alisports Group, founded in 2015 by the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, integrates e-commerce, media, home entertainment, cloud computing and other Internet-enabled technologies to form a sports platform. Alisports leverages Alibaba Group's vast e-commerce ecosystem, media resources and deep experience to create value for sports industry participants and enhances consumers and sports fans' engagement with teams and brands.

About Agri Mind Sdn Bhd

Founded in October 2008, Agri Mind Sdn Bhd is a growing company that aims to continuously expand its global network through high value-added services, such as information technology systems, marketing strategies and event managements. We are experts in cybercafé systems, from basic - centralized, ticketing, payment systems to well-developed structures, we offer made-to-order systems to meet the needs of different clients.

We have been in the industry for a decade and we have strong experience in organizing and managing events, conferences, launches, roadshows, annual dinners and more. We form connections, partnership, and collaborations, creating new value for clients and projects we work with. Recently, we teamed up with World Electronic Sports Games (WESG) and Alisports as strategic partner, to support the esports industry in Southeast Asia.