eSports

Indian Olympic Association felicitates Bronze Medallist contingent of Dota 2

Published

4 years ago

August 15, 2022

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Indian Esports contingent was in attendance with the mainstream sports athletes that were rewarded for bringing laurels to the country at Commonwealth Games

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) felicitated Team India’s Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games medal winners at The Ashok Hotel, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, on the evening of August 13. All bronze medallists of the Indian DOTA 2 team – Moin Ejaz (captain), Ketan Goyal, Abhishek Yadav, Shubham Goli, and Vishal Vernekar were presented with the appreciation memento in a felicitation ceremony for their exceptional accomplishment at the recently concluded Commonwealth Esports Championship.

Several dignitaries, including IOA Acting President Mr. Anil Khanna, General Secretary Mr. Rajeev Mehta, Treasurer Mr. Anandeshwar Pandey, Team India’s Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Chef de Mission Mr. Rajesh Bhandari, General Team Manager Mr. Maninder Pal Singh, and former IOA president Mr N. Ramachandran, graced the occasion and felicitated the medallists.

This was the very first time that an Indian Esports contingent had been invited to the felicitation ceremony along with the other mainstream sports medallists.

“It is an unforgettable day for the rest of the team and me. To have the opportunity to be here with the other medallists from various sports and get awarded by the Indian Olympic Association for a medal in Esports is a very special achievement. All of the efforts that we took throughout our journey have finally started to bear fruits, with this being just the beginning. We are going to go with twice the energy and motivation into the Asian Games to do even better for the country.” said a proud Moin Ejaz, captain of the Indian DOTA 2 Team.

The Indian contingent met with renowned sports personalities such as Harmanpreet Kaur (Indian Women’s Cricket Team captain), Bhavina Patel & Sonalben Manubhai Patel (Para TT Player) and Deepak Punia (Indian wrestler) and enlightened them about Esports as well as the basics of DOTA 2, the video game in which they clinched the bronze medal. The contingent also conveyed that Esports will be a proper medal event at the upcoming Asian Games 2022.

“Finally, Indian Esports has found a place on par with the other sports in the country. To be recognised by the IOA for the DOTA 2 contingent’s achievement amongst the country’s finest athletes feels like a cherry on top of the cake of winning the bronze medal. The trajectory of Esports in India has seen its fair share of highs and lows, but with the Asian Games coming up, the only way seems to be upwards from here. The expectations are undoubtedly high now because of the bar that has been set, but we have complete faith in our Esports athletes to transition this form in the upcoming international competitions and make the country proud.”, said Lokesh Suji, Director of Esports Federation of India and Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation.

The IOA officials congratulated the DOTA 2 team on their historic bronze medal, which the ESFI believes is a testament to the relevance of the Commonwealth Games given the rise in popularity esports in India is expected to witness following the national team’s medal-winning feat in the inaugural edition of the Commonwealth Esports Championship.

One of the country’s top sports and Esports specialised communication firms, Artsmith – Concepts & Visions, India’s Leading Multiplex chain INOX and Leading sports psychologist org Mandeha continue their support as the communication, multiplex & sports psychologist partners of ESFI, respectively.

chess

Team Vitality re-signs Javokhir Sindarov for 2026–2027 chess roster

Published

3 days ago

April 23, 2026

Wladimir P.

team-vitality-re-signs-javokhir-sindarov-for-2026–2027-chess-roster

Team Vitality has re-signed chess player Javokhir Sindarov to its Chess roster for 2026 and 2027, bringing the 2025 FIDE World Cup winner back to the organisation.

The club said Sindarov is coming off a win at the 2026 Candidates Tournament, positioning him for a potential world title match against reigning champion Gukesh Dommaraju.

“We are incredibly proud to welcome Javokhir back to Team Vitality. He represents the new generation of chess: bold, ambitious, and unafraid to make big moves. His trajectory speaks for itself, and we know he has everything it takes to become the next World Champion,” said Danny Engels, Chief International Officer at Team Vitality. “This signing is a natural step in our ambition to be at the forefront of chess and esports, and to bring the game to new audiences around the world.”

Team Vitality also pointed to Sindarov’s interest in gaming—specifically Counter-Strike—as a fit with the organisation’s esports positioning. His next scheduled appearance under Team Vitality is the Chess.com Open, running April 23–26.

The post Team Vitality re-signs Javokhir Sindarov for 2026–2027 chess roster appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

creator-economy

Red Bull runs one-day Balatro speedrun event, Boss Rush, on April 17

Published

1 week ago

April 17, 2026

Wladimir P.

red-bull-runs-one-day-balatro-speedrun-event,-boss-rush,-on-april-17

Eight creators compete across five timed stages with eliminations, broadcast on Red Bull’s Twitch and YouTube channels.

Red Bull will stage a one-day Balatro speedrun competition, Red Bull Boss Rush, on April 17, 2026. The event brings together eight creators for timed runs in the roguelike deckbuilder, with viewers able to follow via individual creator POV streams and a central hub broadcast.

The competitor lineup includes Red Bull Player Ludwig, plus The Spiffing Brit, FrostPrime, Feinberg, Adef, Yahiamice, mbtyugioh and dreads. Red Bull said live commentary will be provided by esports host Yinsu ‘Yinsu’ Collins, card-game specialist Blake ‘Rarran’ Eram, and DrSpectered.

Boss Rush is structured as five 30-minute stages, with players ranked by completion time. Red Bull said the opening three stages use a shared random seed with unlimited resets, and points are awarded by placement each stage; the bottom four are eliminated after stage 3. Stage 4 determines the finalists, followed by a final winner-takes-all matchup.

The event also includes a downloadable Red Bull Boss Rush mod featuring a custom-branded deck and new Red Bull-themed Jokers, Bosses and Skip Tags. Red Bull highlighted additions including ‘Witch’, ‘Princess and Frog’, ‘Zebra’, Old Dog, ‘Pirate’, ‘Genie’, ‘Prince Charming’, and ‘Jester’, each designed to alter scoring or run economics.

Red Bull Boss Rush will stream on twitch.tv/redbull and Red Bull’s YouTube Gaming channel. Scan is supplying gaming PCs for the competition, according to the company.

Relevant data as follows:

Red Bull Gaming on Twitch; https://www.twitch.tv/redbull Primary broadcast destination for the event.
Red Bull Gaming on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/redbullgaming Secondary broadcast destination cited in the release.
Red Bull Gaming: https://www.redbull.com/ Official Red Bull site for event context and confirmation.
Balatro on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/Balatro/ Authoritative reference for the game featured in the competition.
Scan Computers: https://www.scan.co.uk/ PC supplier mentioned as providing systems for the event.

The post Red Bull runs one-day Balatro speedrun event, Boss Rush, on April 17 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Asia

S8UL signs Team Question Mark roster for PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS ahead of EWC 2026

Published

1 week ago

April 16, 2026

Wladimir P.

s8ul-signs-team-question-mark-roster-for-pubg:-battlegrounds-ahead-of-ewc-2026

The CIS-based EMEA lineup brings past EWC experience and titles including PUBG Global Series 8 as S8UL targets Riyadh qualification.

S8UL has signed the Team Question Mark (QM) roster to represent the organisation in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS on PC ahead of the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026. The deal was announced April 16 from Mumbai as S8UL prepares for the tournament in Riyadh, scheduled for July 21 to 26.

The CIS-based EMEA lineup includes:

captain Roman Zinovev (ADOUZ1E),
Andrey Ionov (Bestoloch),
Mansur Tsimpaev (f1lfirst),
Nikita Odobesku (Molodoct),
and coach Yermek Torebekov (Ermaak).

S8UL said the roster will compete through the qualification pathway for a place in the 24-team event, which has a $2 million prize pool.

S8UL is adding a roster with a proven record in top-tier PUBG competition, including wins at PUBG Continental Series 7 Europe 2022 and PUBG Global Series 8 in 2025. The team has also posted a Top 3 finish at PUBG Global Series 2 in 2023 and a Top 7 finish at PUBG Global Championship 2022. The organisation said the roster has competed at both previous editions of the EWC in 2024 and 2025 and has amassed approximately $713,000 in total prize winnings.

Commenting on the move, Naman Mathur, Co-founder, S8UL said, “Signing the QM roster is a significant step for us as we continue to strengthen our presence in global esports. PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is one of the most competitive titles in the world, and this team has consistently proven itself against the very best. At a broader level, this move reflects the direction S8UL is heading in. Over the past year, we have focused on building depth across our rosters and competing consistently at the highest level. As we prepare for the Esports World Cup 2026, we are committed to providing the team with the right support and resources as they aim to make a strong impact in the qualifiers as well as on the global stage.”

Roman Zinovev aka ADOUZ1E added, “Becoming part of S8UL is a big opportunity for us as a team. As a team, we’ve always believed in our ability to compete with the best in the world, and having the backing of a global organisation allows us to push even further. With the Esports World Cup coming up, we’re focused on working through the qualifiers and making sure we deliver performances that match our potential.,”

S8UL said the announcement follows its selection as a Club Partner by the Esports Foundation (EF), placing it among 40 global organisations. The organisation has also listed 13 titles it plans to enter for EWC 2026, including PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, Apex Legends, Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Call of Duty: Warzone, Chess, EA Sports FC, FATAL Fury, Fortnite, Honor of Kings, MOBA Legends 5V5, Street Fighter 6, TEKKEN 8, and Trackmania.

Relevant data as follows:

S8UL Esports: https://s8ul.gg/ Official organisation site for roster and announcement verification.
PUBG Esports (PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS competitive updates): https://pubgesports.com/ Authoritative source for PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS esports circuits, event results, and qualifiers.
Esports World Cup (official site): https://esportsworldcup.com/ Event organiser site for EWC 2026 schedule, formats, and prize pool confirmation.

The post S8UL signs Team Question Mark roster for PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS ahead of EWC 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.