The International Esports Federation (IESF) will see a change in leadership this December as its current President, HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, is not standing as a candidate in the 2025 Presidential Election. The election, scheduled for December 6 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will feature a contest between the federation’s former President, Vlad Marinescu, and current Board Member Samart Benjamin Assarasakorn.
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The presidential contest presents a choice between two distinct leadership profiles. According to official communications, Vlad Marinescu, who previously guided IESF from 2020 to 2023, is seeking a return to the role, reaffirming his vision for a “united and recognized world of esports”. His background includes over a decade of experience at the International Judo Federation, having served as Director General from June 2021 until June 2025.
His opponent, Samart Benjamin Assarasakorn, has served on the IESF Board since 2023 and is committed to “transforming IESF into a world-class federation that empowers every member nation”. He is currently the Acting General Secretary at the Southeast Asian Esports Federation (SAEF), and also the Vice Chairman abd CEO of the Thai infrastructure development group Kabinburi Industrial Zone.
The election will also decide the composition of the IESF Board, with fourteen candidates nominated from across the globe. The list includes representatives from New Zealand, Iraq, the United States, Namibia, Argentina, India, Malaysia, Montenegro, Myanmar, Germany, Jordan, Israel, Norway, and Uzbekistan. The outcome will determine the new leadership team tasked with steering the federation’s strategic direction following the president’s departure.
The result of the December vote will establish a new leadership mandate for IESF, guiding the federation’s efforts in increasing its relevance and participation in the global esports landscape following this planned presidential transition. In the main stages of esports, the influence of federations such as IESF and its rival Global Esports Federation (GEF), where HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud also served as Vice President in the past, is showing itself limited, though their value proposition has a promising potential to developing grassroots initiatives.
