Chemin Esports announced that it would be organising a nationwide University & College Esports Tour in association with the Federation of Electronic Sports Associations of India (FEAI), the national apex body for esports in India.
As part of the FEAIs national grassroots program, Chemin will spearhead the tournament series planned around prominent Indian colleges and universities to spread awareness about esports as a career opportunity in India. The first such tour will be at the prestigious IIM Indore, where Chemin will host the FIFA 23 tournament in their cultural fest IRIS-Ranbhoomi 2022, held between 11-13 November 2022. A total of 15 colleges have been onboarded on the program and we have plans to add more.
FEAI has been leading a strong policy intervention, anchored through the policies of the Government of India, towards the formalisation of esports and allied industries. With FEAI’s strong emphasis on developing esports across every Indian state through regional chapters, the association with Chemin Esports for the tour will lead to a more robust and faster development of esports in India. With the current gamer outreach of FEAI and active player participation of almost one lakh esports players, this program will help FEAI and Chemin scout for raw but aspirational esports talent who can be nurtured into a top esports Athletes. All participating players will be registered as officially recognised esports players with the FEAI.
Commenting on the tour, Chemin Esports director Ishan Verma said, “This is the first of its kind esports program to be organised at such a massive scale for strengthening grassroots connect. We will be crisscrossing the country and engaging with major colleges and universities to organise esports tournaments with their students, along with awareness camps highlighting the tremendous opportunities available for a solid career in esports and gaming. Additionally, we are excited about the alignment of our vision with FEAI’s, and their support of the program will further boost engagement.”
FEAI founding member said, “This is a very important part of the FEAIs player development program. As an athlete-first body for esports in India, we seek to facilitate a policy-centred esports outlook that aims to address a strong talent development ecosystem that covers the spectrum of talent, businesses, job creation, education, and revenue generation for India with regional centres of excellence. The overall ecosystem has to be strengthened for it and we are excited about our association with Chemin Esports in rapidly accelerating the growth of esports across the country through the esports tour. We are confident that this program will support a wholistic esports development at the grassroots that places priority on Indian Athletes and their development so that they can compete in global competitions and start the journey towards the Olympics as there is a significant move towards inclusion of esports in Olympics.”
The esports tour will go across tournament regions such as Jammu & Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Nagaland and all other states of India. The participants will have to register themselves on FEAI’s website, and every participant will receive a participation certificate, with the winners being recognised as esports athletes by FEAI. This will give the players not only recognition but also access to the FEAI roster of events throughout the calendar year. The participants with the most potential will get a chance to be a part of the esports academy and train under the guidance of international coaches.