Esports has been seeing tremendous growth over the past two decades, enticing millions of people to watch livestreams and gaming content every day. Recently Pakistan officially declared esports a sport within the country. What does this mean and why is this important for the industry?
Recently esports has gained the status of an official sport in the country of Pakistan. This means more opportunities for esports athletes and teams alike, which is good news for a growing industry. Pakistan also isn’t the first country to recognize esports as an official sport, as China did it first all the way back in 2003, becoming a frontrunner on the esports side of things. The United States, Finland and more followed suit.
Esports will be new sensation in Pakistan and the region exciting framework is in the offing, hope kids out there are all set to make it to top teams… wishing you all the best guys
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) January 15, 2021
But why is it so important for esports to be recognized as a sport? First and foremost, it makes things a whole lot easier for athletes to compete abroad, with their government granting them a work visa. This has been a difficult topic in the past, as quite often esports athletes weren’t able to participate in major tournaments due to not being able to acquire a visa. Players would also be able to become certified professionals and register themselves as esports athletes.
With Pakistan now joining the list of countries that have recognized esports as a sport, more are sure to follow suit. It’s amazing to see an industry rise up from nothing to a global phenomenon, inspiring many players and creating a multitude of new job opportunities.
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