Five of these came from the selection process of the GEF's Global Esports Future Leaders Program, and the other three are sport and wellness management students from Singapore's Nanyang Polytechnic.

Of the eight, five are from Singapore - Brian Cheng, Kylie Goh, Nicholas Nah, Jordan Lee and Sim Ser Lyn.

Portugal's Afonso de Brito, Greece's Jordan Vasileiadis and Azerbaijan's Fidan Zohrabova - who is living in Italy - were the other three chosen as future leaders.

The interns are to be included in management-level meetings and will be involved in organising events including the Global Esports Games, which are scheduled for December 17 and 19.

"The most exciting part of this internship for me is to meet new people from different parts of the world, to learn from them, to share my experience, to enter the esports world and to be more familiar with it," said Zohrabova. 

"I would like to highlight for myself the connection between sport and esports, to find something in common as well as to use my experience in sport to manage esports."

Singapore is set to host the 2021 Games which is to feature personal computer (PC) multiplayer online battle arena title DOTA 2 and console titles eFootball PES 2021 and Street Fighter V.