This is the full text of airasia.com's Sep 23, 2018 press release.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23, 2018 – The World Electronic Sports Games (WESG) SEA Malaysia National Final held at Quill City Mall has concluded after three days of intense playoffs, with the closing ceremony officiated by our Youth and Sports Minister, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman earlier today.

The WESG SEA Malaysia Final kicked off on the 21 st of September and saw the best of over 200 participants from 5 different major titles, namely Dota 2, Counter-strike: Global Offensive, Hearthstone, Starcraft II and Vain Glory. The champions will be flying the Malaysian flag at the Southeast Asia Regional Qualifiers, where they would compete for a chunk of a USD150,000 total prize pool and bragging rights of being the best in the region.

WESG is an international esports championship tournament, originally organized by Alisports and based in China. Started in 2016, it builds on the philosophy of allowing players to play in a competition where they would feel a sense of pride in representing their country while competing in the game they love.

Esports has evolved from a leisurely pastime into a spectator sport that has taken the world by storm. Malaysian is no stranger to the International stage with our esports athletes reaching the finals of world class tournaments like The International 2018 (TI8), which featured a prize pool of USD 25 million. The efforts and accomplishments of these young esports athletes have not gone unnoticed. Our Youth and Sports minister himself sent several tweets to congratulate our young talents while also expressing his intention to make Malaysia a regional esports hub.

The minister further elaborated on his vision during the closing ceremony of the WESG Malaysia Nationals Final by elaborating on his previously stated intention of creating a strong esports infrastructure to promote Malaysia as the esports leader for the region. During his speech, he mentioned that they intended to push forward a project akin to an “Olympic village for esports”, which would include facilities for competitions, education, player and crew accommodation, as well as production and events. As esports continues to gain in popularity, the minister feels that the government can and should play a vital role to ensure a sustainable and healthy ecosystem.

This first integrated esports hub in SEA is owned by Agri Mind (who are the main organizers of WESG SEA), is fully endorsed by the Youth and Sports Ministry, and will be named AirAsia Esports Center after top regional airline AirAsia, who is a key sponsor of the project. Combining the entire esports ecosystem under one roof, this hub will be located in Klang, spearheaded by entrepreneur Adib Khalid (of Tune Studios).

Chairman of Agri Mind, Calvin Lau said, “We see so much potential amongst the grassroots in this region, not just in terms of player and team growth, but also the corresponding ancillary industries, and we want to create a model that taps into that – working closely with the relevant government bodies to develop the entire esport industry throughout Southeast Asia, starting from the youth.”

For the latest news on WESG Southeast Asia, please follow WESG on Facebook (www.facebook.com/WESGSEA) or visit their official website (http://sea.wesg.com).


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 sport platform. Alisports leverages Alibaba Group's vast e-commerce ecosystem, media resources and deep experience to create value for sports industry participants and enhance consumers and sports fans' engagement with teams and brands. About Agri Mind Founded in 2008, Agri Mind 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 management. Specializing in cybercafé systems, from basic, centralized ticketing and payment systems to well-developed structures, we offer made-to-order systems to meet the needs of different clients. With strong experience in 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. Strategic partner of World Electronic Sports Games (WESG) and Alisports, to best support the esports industry in Southeast Asia.