Cover-Credits:
The Asian Games are also known as Asiad and the event takes place every fourth year among athletes from all the continents in the Asian region. It is a multi-sport event and recently esports was recognized and added to the list of sports in the event. The ongoing Asian Games 2023 is taking place in Hangzhou, China.
The esports section will have several games including DOTA 2, EA Sports FC Online, Players Unknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile, Arena of Valor (Asian Games version), League Of Legends, Dream Three Kingdom 2 and Street Fighter V: Champion Edition. India will compete in the following titles, League of Legends, EA Sports FC Online, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition and DOTA 2.
There was a fifteen member squad taking part in the esports section from India. Charanjot Singh and Karman Singh Tikka represented India in EA Sports FC Online formerly known as FIFA Online 4.
Charanjot Singh and Karman Singh Tikka eliminated from EA Sports FC Online Asian Games 2023 event
India's Charanjot Singh and Karman Tikka bowed out of the Asian Games 2022 after suffering hard-fought defeats on the opening day.
Charanjot Singh suffered a 0:2 defeat to China's Liu Jiacheng in his opening game but bounced back strongly with three consecutive wins. He won 2:0 against Aristorenas Jorrel of Philippines, 2-1 against Alrowaihi RKM of Bahrain, and 2-0 against Yessentayev Olzhas of Kazakhstan in the Losers Bracket Round 1, 2 and 3, respectively. However his campaign came to an end after enduring another 0-2 defeat against Liu Jiacheng of China in the Losers Bracket Round 4. He was able to finish in the top 16 in the event.
On the other hand, Karman Singh went down fighting in a 1-2 loss against Faqeehi Abdulaziz Abdullatif of Bahrain in his tournament opener. Similar to Charanjot, he too made a strong comeback by defeating Kiswani Abdelrahman of Palestine 2-1 in the Losers Bracket Round 1 before going down 1-2 against Aldhafiri Meshari of Kuwait in the Losers Bracket Round 2 to exit the competition.
After Charanjot Singh was eliminated from the event he said that he was disheartened by the outcome and also said that he will make a strong comeback and deliver better results. "I'm disheartened by the outcome and am disappointed that I couldn't advance to the subsequent rounds. Nonetheless, I'm grateful for the opportunity to compete at this level and want to extend my thanks to my team, coaches, and family for their unwavering support during this journey. I'm looking forward to returning stronger and delivering a better performance at the next event."
Chetan “Kronten” Chandgude, Founder, GodLike Esports also shared his thoughts on Chanranjot Singhs elimination and said that even great players get eliminated but he will make a stronger return. “Sometimes even the most brilliant players get eliminated, I’m sure the relentless pursuit of improvement and the unyielding spirit of Charanjot will return stronger, both on and off the field. It was a proud moment for Godlike Esports to have an athlete from our org participate at the first Esports category in the Asian Games representing the country. We hope to see many more esports athletes take the stage and get the recognition they deserve."
Charanjot Singh is one of the top EA Sports FC Online players in India. He had defeated various South Asian players from Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the Asian Games 2023 FIFA Online 4 seeding event to secure the top seeding in the Asian Games 2023 whereas Karman Singh Tikka had finished in the fifth spot.
