BY James Kon

Esports Association of Brunei (ESB), the national governing body for e-sports, is sending a two-member delegation to the Commonwealth Esports Championship 2022.

The team comprised Ahmad Syauqi bin Haji Junaidi, who will be competing in the eFootball Open category and team manager Hawaii Yee. This is also the first time that a Brunei e-sport athlete will be competing in Commonwealth Esports Championship.

The delegation departs the country today.

A handover of jersey was held at the premises of the Esports Association of Brunei on Sunday.

Esports Association of Brunei President Abdul Azhiim bin Haji Abdul Latif and Youth and Sports Department Acting Director Haji Mohamad Rosfazilah bin Haji Yusly presented the competition jersey to Ahmad Syauqi.

Ahmad Syauqi will be competing in the eFootball 2022 open category after finishing second in the Brunei national qualifiers in July. The winner of the Brunei National Qualifiers was not able to participate in the Commonwealth Esports Championship at Birmingham due to unforeseen circumstances.

Brunei Darussalam is drawing into Group A alongside Nigeria, Gibraltar, England and Ghana. Winners from each group will advance to the playoffs.

The association is targetting at least a top two finish in each group as this is the first time the country is taking part in the eFootball game title. Brunei Darussalam secured a direct qualification slot to Birmingham from the Asia region along with 18 other countries.

Ahmad Syauqi, in an interview, said, “I am proud to be able to represent Brunei in Commonwealth Esports Championship.”

Placed in group A, he said, “The only concern is the jitters as this is my first time competing outside of Brunei. I hope to overcome it.”

Ahmad Syauqi expressed his appreciation to the national association for the opportunity as there was never a platform for e-sports athletes in Brunei to compete abroad. He also thanked the sponsors for funding the trip as well as the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) for supporting his journey. 

The Esports Association of Brunei also shared the upcoming competitions that it expects to take part – the IESF World Championship in Bali and Global Esports Games in Istanbul – both taking place in November/December 2022.

With the postponement of Hangzhou Asian Games to 2023, it allows the association time to prepare and evaluate the athletes before nominating for the games.

Abdul Azhiim also presented tokens of appreciation to sponsors including Progresif for the trip to Birmingham.

The association also acknowledged and appreciated the support from MCYS for its involvement in supporting the development of e-sports in the country.

The association also toured the new ESB training facilities where the national athletes will train and compete online which was provided by the MCYS.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin