International Esports Federation Explained

International Esports Federation
Map:IESF member nations.svg
Malt:Map of member and associate nations
Abbreviation:IESF
Type:Sports federation
Headquarters:Busan, South Korea
Language:English
Leader Title:President
Leader Name:Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud
Main Organ:General Assembly
Website:https://iesf.org

The International Esports Federation (IESF) is a global organization based in South Korea whose mission it is to have esports recognized as a legitimate sport.

Members

As of July 2024, there are 146 member states of the IESF, including:[1]

Africa Electronic Sport Association (30)
Pan American Electronic Sports Confederation (24)
Asian Electronic Sports Federation (42)
European Esports Federation (47)
Oceania (3)

History

The International Esports Federation (IeSF) was established on August 8, 2008, by nine esports[2] associations from Denmark, South Korea, Germany, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Vietnam, and Taiwan. In November of the same year, the organization held its inaugural general meeting.

A year later, on December 12, 2009, the IeSF hosted its first international tournaments. These tournaments included the "IeSF Challenge" in 2009, followed by the "IeSF Grand Finals" in 2010, and the "IeSF World Championship" starting from 2011 and onward.[3]

In 2012, IeSF introduced the first-ever esports tournament for women during the IeSF 2012 World Championship.

On July 7, 2013, IeSF was chosen as the representative for the electronic sports discipline at the 4th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, marking the first time esports had a presence in an Olympic event.[4]

In May 2013, IeSF gain recognition as the official signatory of the World Anti-Doping Agency within the branch of esports.[5]

In July 2013, IeSF submitted an application to join Sport Accord, with expectations of becoming a temporary member in April 2014.[6]

In November 2013, the IeSF hosted the IeSF 2013 World Championship and the 2013 General Meeting in Bucharest, Romania, a significant departure from their usual South Korea location.

In May 2014, the IeSF was granted membership by TAFISA and announced its participation in the 2016 TAFISA World Games for All, to be held in Jakarta.[7]

In 2014, IeSF initially implemented gender-based restrictions in the Hearthstone tournament, but later amended its policy to merge the sections into open-for-all tournaments while still maintaining female-only tournaments with smaller prize pools.[8]

During the 2015 World Championship, an esports panel was hosted with international sports society representatives to discuss the potential recognition of esports as a legitimate sporting activity worldwide.[9]

The IeSF expanded further with the inclusion of new member federations, such as Colombia's Federación Colombiana de Deportes Electrónicos (FEDECOLDE), Kazakhstan's Qazaq Cybersport Federation (QCF), Turkey's Turkish Esports Federation (TESFED), and Ukraine's Federation of E-Sport of Ukraine (UESF), bringing the total member count to 60, spanning six continents.[10]

In July 2016, Macau became the 56th member nation of the IESF.[11]

In 2018, IESF voted to accept the United States Esports Federation (USEF) as a full member, establishing USEF as the officially recognized national governing body for esports in the United States.[12]

In a bid to expand into the Middle East, the IeSF signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UAE's Motivate Media Group, the parent company of "Gulf Business," as the esports community in the Middle East continued to grow, with over 300 million gamers in the region.[13]

In October 2023, IESF appointed Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family, as its president.[14]

World Esports Championships

Year Title Location Esports titles
2009 IeSF 2009 Challenge TaebaekFIFA Online
2010 IeSF Grand Final DaeguFIFA Online,
2011 IeSF World Championship AndongStarCraft II, FIFA Online
2012 IeSF World Championship CheonanAlliance of Valiant Arms, StarCraft II, Tekken Tag Tournament 2
2013 IeSF World Championship BucharestLeague of Legends, StarCraft II, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Alliance of Valiant Arms
2014 Esports World Championship 2014 BakuDota 2, Hearthstone, Ultra Street Fighter IV, StarCraft II, Tekken Tag Tournament 2
2015 Esports World Championship 2015 SeoulLeague of Legends, StarCraft II, Hearthstone
2016 Esports World Championship 2016 Jakarta[15] , League of Legends, Hearthstone
2017 Esports World Championship 2017 Busan, League of Legends, Tekken 7
2018 Esports World Championship 2018 Kaohsiung, League of Legends, Tekken 7[16]
2019Esports World Championship 2019 SeoulDota 2, Tekken 7, eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020
2020Esports World Championship 2020 EilatDota 2, Tekken 7, eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020
2021Esports World Championship 2021 Eilat[17] Dota 2, , Tekken 7, eFootball
2022World Esports Championship 2022 BaliDota 2, , Tekken 7, eFootball, PUBG Mobile,
2023World Esports Championship 2023 Iași[18] , Dota 2, Tekken 7, eFootball, PUBG Mobile,
2024World Esports Championship 2024 Riyadh[19] Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, eFootball, PUBG Mobile,

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Members of IESF . http://web.archive.org/web/20240427164552/https://iesf.org/members/ . April 27, 2024 . live . April 6, 2022 . iesf.org.
  2. https://esn.gg// esports news
  3. Web site: IeSF. leSF. September 2, 2015. January 5, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150105182055/http://www.ie-sf.com/en/about/history.php. dead.
  4. Web site: media > IeSF News > [IeSF News] Updates on 4th Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games and IeSF 2013 Asia Conference]. leSF. September 2, 2015. September 17, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150917045959/http://ie-sf.com/bbs/board.php?bo_table=iesf_news&wr_id=29. dead.
  5. Web site: Anti-Doping Community. World Anti-Doping Agency. September 2, 2015. July 13, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140713172305/http://wada-ama.org/en/Anti-Doping-Community/IFs/List-of-IFs/. dead.
  6. Web site: media > IeSF News > [IeSF News] IeSF submitted its membership application to "Sport Accord"]. leSF. September 2, 2015. September 17, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150917052506/http://ie-sf.com/bbs/board.php?bo_table=iesf_news&wr_id=34. dead.
  7. Web site: IeSF, 국제체육기구 가맹 "e스포츠도 생활체육". May 9, 2014 . May 28, 2014.
  8. Web site: Previously male-only Hearthstone competition now open to all genders. Jenna Pitcher. Polygon. July 3, 2014 . September 2, 2015.
  9. [2015 IESF] e-Sports Summit with International Sports Society -EsportsTV ]. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211220/QTEk0bh0GUQ . December 20, 2021 . live. December 3, 2015 . YouTube.
  10. Web site: Zalik . Dejan . International e-Sports Federation Launches Initiative To Bring Esports To The Olympics . EsportsBets.com . June 23, 2016.
  11. Web site: Grow uP eSports. growupesports.com.
  12. News: Mackay . D. . International eSports Federation Accepts United States as Latest Member . The Sports Digest . August 12, 2019.
  13. News: Mansoor . Zainab . International Esports Federation to expand into the Middle East . GulfBusiness.com . November 14, 2019.
  14. News: Nordland . Jake . IESF appoints Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal as President . October 25, 2023 . Esports Insider . October 3, 2023.
  15. Web site: 8th E-Sports World Championships to Be Held in Jakarta, Indonesia - Esports by Inquirer.net. March 18, 2016.
  16. News: TEKKEN 7 Announces as Game Title for 10th Esports World Championship -. March 30, 2018. May 23, 2018. en-US. May 24, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180524081936/http://es.me/en/2018/03/30/tekken-7-announces-game-title-10th-esports-world-championship/. dead.
  17. Web site: 85 countries will play at the IESF's 13th Esports World Championship. May 21, 2021. en-US.
  18. Web site: Six games to return for IESF World Championships in Romania . April 7, 2023 .
  19. Web site: Claim your rewards: $1.000.000 Prize Pool for WEC24 Revealed . March 14, 2024 .

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