Global Esports Federation

The Global Esports Federation (GEF) is a non-governmental organization that convenes the world's esports (or competitive video gaming) community. It was established on December 16, 2019, and is headquartered in Singapore,[1] where it is a registered society under the Singapore Registry of Societies.

Global Esports Federation
FormationDecember 16, 2019 (2019-12-16)
TypeSports federation
HeadquartersSingapore
Official language
English
President
Singapore Chris Chan
CEO
Australia Paul J. Foster
Websiteglobalesports.org
Motto: #worldconnected

The GEF is a convening body for the esports ecosystem. The mission of GEF is to "cultivate competition along with developing communities and the connection between sport, esports, and technology".[2] The organization set up the GEF Events Properties, consisting of the Global Esports Games, Global Esports Tour, and a community initiative series. It also runs GEFcon — Global Esports Federation Convention — a thought leadership and ideation incubator platform, and GEFestival, an event around esports culture, art, music, fashion, entertainment, and youth.

According to its constitution,[3] Member Federations from around the world can be a part of the GEF. As of January 2023, there are 16 Commissions and two Councils that guide the work of the GEF. The first and current President of the GEF is Chris Chan of Singapore.

History

The GEF was launched on December 16, 2019 with Chris Chan appointed as its first President. The Board currently consists of a President, five vice-presidents, and 14 board members. The GEF appointed its first Chief Executive Officer, Paul J. Foster, in March 2021.[4]

The GEF has a diverse Global Events Portfolio. Its Global Esports Games (GEG) staged its inaugural edition in 2021 and will take place annually. The first GEG was held in Singapore in December 2021, followed by the second edition in Istanbul, Turkey in 2022 and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2023.[5]

GEF Board
Designation Name Country/Territory
President Chris Chan Singapore Singapore
Vice Presidents Steven Ma China China
Chester King United Kingdom United Kingdom
T A Ganda Sithole Zimbabwe Zimbabwe
Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia
Adrian Lismore Republic of Ireland Ireland
Melita N. Moore, M.D. United States United States
Board Members Ramil Aliyev Azerbaijan Azerbaijan
Hala Ghandour Lebanon Lebanon
Lorenzo Giorgetti Italy Italy
Hideki Hayakawa Japan Japan
Jerry Ling Singapore Singapore
Chong Geng Ng Singapore Singapore
Chris Overholt Canada Canada
Aurelia Ruetsch France France
Koen Schobbers Netherlands Netherlands
Peter Zeytoonjian United States United States
Chief Executive Officer Paul J. Foster Australia Australia
Senior Advisor Song Luzeng China China
Hideki Okamura Japan Japan
Alper Afsin Özdemir Turkey Türkiye
Advisor Nicholas Khoo Singapore Singapore

GEF Commissions
Commission Chair Country/Territory
Athletes, Players, Community Koen Schobbers Canada Canada, Netherlands Netherlands
Brand, Marketing, Communications Lorenzo Giorgetti, Peter Zeytoonjian Italy Italy, United States United States of America
Technology, Innovation, Active Esports Chris Overholt Canada Canada
Education, Culture, Youth Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, Jerry Ling Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, Singapore Singapore
Finance, Legal, Administration Adrian Lismore, Ramil Aliyev Republic of Ireland Ireland, Azerbaijan Azerbaijan
Governance, Ethics & Membership T A Ganda Sithole Zimbabwe Zimbabwe
Health & Wellness Melita N. Moore, M.D., Ali Al Ramahi United States United States of America, United Kingdom United Kingdom
Technical, Standards & Properties Chester King, Mars Hou United Kingdom United Kingdom, China China
International Relations & Development Mario Cilenti, Aurelia Ruetsch Argentina Argentina, France France
GEG 2023-2024 Coordination Commission Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, Lisa Hindson, Vinod Kumar Tiwari Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, Australia Australia, India India

Member Federations

As of January 2023, there are more than 150 global partnerships, including over 127 Member Federations in the GEF.

Development Federations

In September 2021, the GEF announced the creation of two Esports Development Federations:[6] the Africa Esports Development Federation and the Pan Am Esports Development Federation. It was unveiled as part of the GEF's commitment to developing the esports ecosystem around the world.

In 2023, the Oceania and Europe Esports Development Federations were formed to continue the support of sustainable development of esports communities throughout the #worldconnected.

Events

Global Esports Games

The Global Esports Games (GEG) is an event of the GEF. It is a multi-title esports competition featuring athletes from Member Federations and takes place in December every year.

In May 2021, the GEF announced the host cities for the first three editions of the GEG. The inaugural GEG took place in Singapore in 2021, followed by Istanbul in 2022 and will head to Riyadh in 2023.[7]

Three esports titles were contested at Singapore 2021 Global Esports Games: Valve’s Dota 2 (PC Multiplayer Online Battle Arena), Konami’s eFootball PES 2021 Season Update, and Capcom’s Street Fighter V.[8] Active Esports was included as a demonstration event, featuring FreeStriker, a non-contact virtual sport that pits martial arts athletes against each other using real-time motion tracking.

Istanbul 2022 Global Esports Games featured Valve’s Dota 2 (PC Multiplayer Online Battle Arena), Konami’s eFootball 2023, Capcom’s Street Fighter V, and Krafton's PUBG Mobile.

Editions
YearCity
Singapore 2021 Global Esports GamesSingapore Singapore
Istanbul 2022 Global Esports GamesTurkey Istanbul
Riyadh 2023 Global Esports GamesSaudi Arabia Riyadh
China 2024 Global Esports GamesChina
Dubai 2025 Global Esports GamesUnited Arab Emirates
USA 2026 Global Esports GamesUnited States

Global Esports Tour

The Global Esports Tour (GET) is a series of tournaments for professional esports athletes and teams.

In September 2021, the GEF announced the first series of the GET, with each stage showcasing a different esports title.[9]

The first edition of the GET had a total prize pool of US$500,000.[10]

GET Riyadh 2023 will be staged on August 26-27, 2023, at Gamers8 festival. Participating pro athletes will compete for a US$50,000 prize pool in eFootball 2023.

Partners

Tencent is a Founding Global Partner of the GEF.[11] The federation also has a list of other partners, including Strategic Partners Commonwealth Games Federation,[12] FACEIT,[13] International Telecommunication Union,[14] Peace and Sport[15] and UNESCO.[16]

References
  1. "E-Sports: First global body to be headquartered in Singapore, SNOC sec-gen Chris Chan to be president". The Straits Times. 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  2. "About". Global Esports. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  3. "Resources". Global Esports. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  4. "Foster named as Global Esports Federation's first chief executive". www.insidethegames.biz. 2021-04-02. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  5. Šimić, Ivan (2021-05-11). "Global Esports Games unveils first host cities". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  6. Miller, George (2021-09-21). "The Global Esports Federation Establishes Continental Esports Development Federations". European Gaming Industry News. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
  7. "Global Esports Games Headed to Singapore, Istanbul, and Riyadh". Benzinga. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  8. "Countdown to 100 Days to the Global Esports Games". Singapore Esports Association. 2021-09-09. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  9. Nicholson, Jonno (2021-09-14). "Global Esports Federation unveils details on Global Esports Tour". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  10. "Global Esports Federation Name Host Cities For Global Esports Tour". Ministry of Sport. 2021-09-16. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  11. "Global Esports Federation launched in Singapore with China's Tencent as founding partner". Tencent. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  12. "Commonwealth Games Federation agrees partnership with Global Esports Federation | Commonwealth Games Federation". thecgf.com. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  13. "Global Esports Federation partners with FACEIT for Global Esports Tour". TalkEsport. 2021-09-16. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  14. ITU (2020-06-18). "Global Esports Federation joins ITU to launch global dialogue on esports". ITU News. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  15. "Peace and Sport partners with the Global Esports Federation (GEF) to foster education, development and enhanced social cohesion". www.peace-sport.org. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  16. "Global Esports Federation to work with UNESCO on sustainable development goals". www.insidethegames.biz. 2021-03-29. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
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