The Asian Electronic Sports Federation held its first Grand Meeting in Hangzhou ©AESF

The Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) staged its inaugural Grand Meeting here where it vowed to move to the next phase of its strategic development as esports makes its debut at the Asian Games.

Representatives from 34 of the AESF’s members associations came together for the meeting that was held alongside the Games in Hangzhou.

AESF President Kenneth Fok chaired the meeting and delivered a welcome address when he spoke about the organisation’s success with esports featuring as a medal sport at the continental multi-sport event for the first time.

Discussions centred on decisions made by the AESF Executive Board including advancing to the second step of its strategic plan.

The AESF said the first phase had been successfully delivered with the inclusion of esports in the Olympic Movement as well as gaining recognition from national sporting authorities.

AESF President Kenneth Fok signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the African Confederation of Digital Sports ©AESF
AESF President Kenneth Fok signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the African Confederation of Digital Sports ©AESF

Under phase two, the AESF plans to focus on strengthening collaborations with publishers, key partners and organisations to "expand the scope of electronic sports".

The AESF has also expressed its commitment to enhancing its corperate governance, organisational regulations and structure while further developing its member associations.

Several groups are set to be formed by the AESF including the Publisher Commission and Athlete Commission.

The meeting also saw the AESF adopt its competition roadmap which is expected to lead to the development of its own events such as the AESF Asian Cup, AESF e-Masters, AESF University Championship and RDAG Regionals.

Esports is featuring as a medal event at the Asian Games for the first time in Hangzhou ©Getty Images
Esports is featuring as a medal event at the Asian Games for the first time in Hangzhou ©Getty Images

"These competitions will provide athletes with opportunities to excel beyond the national level," a statement from the AESF read.

The AESF has also announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the African Confederation of Digital Sports in a bid to collaborate over the "advancement, promotion, and protection of esports on both continents".

The future of esports was among the points of discussion when the AESF staged its Executive Board meeting in Hangzhou.

Players from across the world have been competing for medals in Arena of Valor, Dota 2, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, EA Sports FC, League of Legends, PUBG Mobile, and Street Fighter V at the Games.

The AESF said it had been working tirelessly towards this achievement since 2017.

Esports has also been officially included as a medal event at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.