Tencent Esports and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) have announced a new ten-year strategic partnership with a primary aim to support the long-term growth of esports in Asia. Under the agreement, Tencent Esports has been named the Official Esports Technology Partner of the OCA.
As per the official release, this partnership transforms the short-term event support into long-term cooperation. Therefore, both sides will now work together on building technology systems, setting competition standards, and developing the esports ecosystem across Asia.
As a part of the new agreement, Tencent Esports also announced that it will launch the Tencent Esports Competition System (ECS). This system is based on the technology used successfully at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, which featured seven game titles including EA FC Online, League of Legends, Dota 2, and more.
ECS will provide full technical support for future Asian Games and other major Asian sports events. Tencent says that the objective is to make esports competitions fair, stable, and efficient. The organisation further explained that it will continue to help major Asian tournaments with digital upgrades, improving how events are run and increasing trust in top-level competitions.
Commenting on the partnership, Dr. Husain Al-Musallam, Director General of the OCA, said, “Based on the pleasant cooperation and trust built over the past decade, we have witnessed Tencent Esports’ excellence in driving industry development. This partnership is not just an upgrade in title, but a unification of responsibility. It signals that Asian esports has moved from an era of ‘participation’ to one of ‘system co-construction.’ We look forward to working with Tencent Esports to set a sustainable example for the healthy development of esports in Asia and globally.”
Tencent Esports and the OCA have worked together for several years as esports gradually became part of the Asian Games. Esports first appeared as a demonstration sport at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. In 2022, the two sides upgraded their cooperation, and in 2023 esports officially became a medal event at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Apart from the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), esports publishers are also stepping up their long-term commitments in Asia. Riot Games and Tencent’s LIGHTSPEED STUDIOS unveiled a $200m investment plan last year with the sole purpose of developing VALORANT Mobile into a leading competitive esports title in China.
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