Tencent Esports and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) have announced a partnership that’ll span the next 10 years, making Tencent Esports the Official Esports Technology Partner of the OCA.
Tencent Esports has been supporting the OCA for years, and this isn’t the first partnership between the two. The group first worked with the OCA at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games when esports debuted as a demonstration event. In 2022, the OCA-Tencent Esports strategic partnership was announced, and Tencent Esports also helped esports become an official medal event at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou.
Now it can work on the systems within the council itself, focusing on the technology and standards across the continent, as well as developing a thriving esports ecosystem. The ultimate goal is to continue integrating esports and traditional sports across Asia.
The partnership was first revealed in October last year, when Yati Zhang, Director of Tencent Esports, and Timothy Tsun Ting, First Vice President of the OCA, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Dr. Husain Al-Musallam, Director General of the OCA, released a video statement about the partnership with Tencent Esports:
At the same time, Tencent is launching the Tencent Esports Competition System (ECS). The ECS will offer comprehensive technical esports support for major esports events in Asia, including the Asian Games, to make sure everything is efficient, stable, and fair. Additionally, Tencent Esports plans to continue innovating in the esports industry.
Hou Miao, Vice President of Tencent Games and General Manager of Tencent Esports, explains this approach to the partnership with the Olympic Council of Asia as the “Tri-Pillar Drive”:
“For esports to truly integrate into the global mainstream sports system, we must build a sustainable and replicable new order. I believe the future of esports will be driven by a tripartite synergy: the Publisher Tech Ecosystem as the engine of innovation, continental and global sports organizations such as the OCA as the authoritative platform, and national and regional esports strategies as the fulcrum for implementation.
“Embarking on this next decade of cooperation with the OCA is about putting this model into practice, starting in Asia. We look forward to working with all partners to pave a viable and robust ‘Asian Path’ for collaborative development, making it a recognized and integral part of the global sports mainstream.”
For more news on esports, check out the League of Legends pro Faker, who just received the first-ever Cheongnyong Medal for esports in the Republic of Korea, and the win for The MongolZ in Counter-Strike 2’s Esports World Cup 2025 tournament.
