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YAS HEAT ESPORTS announces academy programme graduates

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  • Final five selected and eager to compete on the global stage in 2021
  • YAS HEAT Open Trials deemed a success following 120 applications
  • Four-week trials initiative yields abundance of top-tier talent

YAS HEAT ESPORTS has revealed the selected drivers from the official YAS HEAT Open Trials initiative established in August. The final five will continue to develop and eventually race for the squad in global competitions in the near future.

The line-up consists of Gran Turismo drivers Karl Etyemezian and Hazem Zaki, Assetto Corsa Competizione racer Mohamed Akram and iRacing specialist Yashish Manohar.

Joining these top-tier middle eastern talents is Emirati karting ace Khalifa Alqubaisi. Following a slew of high-profile karting achievements – two-time Champion of the Emirati School Karting Championship, YAS Kartzone Sprint Race Champion and current track record holder at the Dubai Kartdrome – the 16-year-old turned his attention to sim racing in 2017 and hasn’t looked back. Alqubaisi similarly recorded impressive results in esports placing second in a GCC Category 6HR Endurance Race and claiming the runner-up spot in the 2020 EMSO GT Championship on Playstation 4.

The final five will work closely with the YAS HEAT international team to better understand car set-ups and racecraft in preparation for their professional esports debuts next year.

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The programme set out the goal of recruiting, nurturing and developing the esports superstars of tomorrow, with the intention of selecting a group of drivers who will compete for the Yas Marina Circuit-based outfit on the largest of virtual racing stages.

Following an initial 120 applications to the programme, 32 were shortlisted to go through to the all-important trials process. The 32 ambitious virtual racers were then put through their paces via a weekly time trial challenge to test their all-out pace, featuring a live leaderboard ensuring lap times were consistently improving to meet minimum threshold requirements. This procedure whittled them down to six finalists over a four-week period.

Once the finalists were established, YAS HEAT ambassador and Assetto Corsa driver ‘Jardier’ conducted fun, light-hearted interviews with each of the aspiring racers, bringing out the best of their personalities and enabling judges to get to know them better. Six then turned into five and thus became inductees onto the official YAS HEAT ESPORTS roster.

Saif Al-Noaimi, Principal, YAS HEAT said:

“It’s been great to watch the progression of the academy drivers over the past few weeks. We were thrilled with the initial applications of 120 keen virtual racers, but then to find five future superstars means the project has been a resounding success.

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“Now we can’t wait to move on to the next step of the process, honing and developing their skillset and bringing them on-board with the international team. We’re all really excited to see how they get on as they’ll be competing across a broad range of virtual racing platforms and titles. YAS HEAT is heading into 2021 with high hopes and a lot of confidence.”

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GIANTX unveils its team for the Spanish Superliga of League of Legends

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The global esports organization GIANTX has officially presented the roster for its League of Legends Superliga team, the most prestigious esports competition in Spain, organized by the LVP. The roster includes Feisty (midlaner) and Aetinoth (ADC), who continue for another year after establishing themselves as key players for the organization, and newcomers Badlulu (toplaner), Ferret (jungler), and Lospa (support).

The team, known as GIANTX Pride, will be led by Fearless, a veteran coach who has already won three Superliga titles with GIANTX. After previous stints with teams like Guasones and Rebels, Fearless returns to lead this young and promising roster as they pursue the organization’s long-awaited eighth Superliga trophy, with the season set to begin in January 2025.

The roster was revealed during an event at the Home of GIANTX in Málaga, attended by over 150 fans and supported by Opel, the team’s main partner in the Superliga. The event featured activities, giveaways, and a showmatch against Barça Esports, where fans got a first glimpse of the team in action.

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Feisty (South Korea, 2003) and Aetinoth (Turkey, 2005) return for another year, having gained recognition as rising talents with potential for the LEC, Europe’s premier competition in which GIANTX also competes. Badlulu (France, 2002), with prior experience in the Superliga at CASE Esports, joins as the toplaner. Ferret (Turkey, 2001), a promising jungler from the Turkish scene, comes from FUT, while Lospa (South Korea, 2002), a former Iberian Cup champion, joins as support after training in Gen.G Academy.

GIANTX Pride is the most decorated organization in Superliga LVP history, with seven titles to its name. The last victory came in the summer of 2021, and the team is determined to add the elusive eighth trophy to its collection. The Superliga for 2025 will feature ten teams, including Barça Esports, Guasones, Los Heretics, LUA Gaming, Movistar KOI, Ramboot Club, UCAM Esports, VENI VIDI VICI, and ZETA, competing across three splits—winter, spring, and summer.

The LVP, part of Grupo Mediapro, has introduced changes to the Superliga’s format for 2025. The updated calendar will be released soon, setting the stage for another thrilling season.

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GRID Joins IBIA as an Associate Member, Strengthening Esports Integrity

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GRID, an esports data platform, has officially joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) as a first esports-focused Associate Member. This collaboration signifies a pivotal moment for esports integrity, aligning GRID with IBIA and its globally recognized integrity-focused members, who monitor over $300bn in sports bets per annum and have a growing focus on esports betting.

With this partnership, GRID and IBIA are committed to collaboratively addressing any integrity issues in esports, fostering trust across stakeholders, and setting a benchmark for excellence in the ecosystem. GRID has been a certified member of IBIA’s Data Standards program since 2022, actively contributing to the development of tailored esports integrity protocols. This membership further underscores GRID’s dedication to transparency and collaboration in combating betting-related corruption within esports.

Since 2018, GRID has operated an internal integrity department pioneering official data-driven solutions for esports. This makes GRID one of the first companies to monitor tournament and data integrity in the competitive sports sector and actively flag and report suspicious behavior, enabling it to collect a large database of integrity reports and insights.

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IBIA is a not-for-profit body that protects regulated sports betting markets from match-fixing. It represents over 50 of the world’s leading betting companies which operate over 125 sports betting brands. IBIA’s global monitoring network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool, detecting and reporting suspicious activity in regulated betting markets using transactional activity linked to individual customer accounts.

Under the partnership, GRID and IBIA will share information relating to suspicious esports betting and potential match manipulation from their respective monitoring and intelligence platforms. IBIA members will also benefit from free access to wider integrity-focused resources supplied by GRID.

Moritz Maurer, CEO of GRID, commented: “Integrity is at the heart of GRID’s mission. By joining IBIA as an Associate Member, we are taking a definitive step toward establishing esports as a trusted and credible industry. This partnership enables us to further our efforts in promoting transparency, reducing risks associated with esports betting, and strengthening operational practices across the ecosystem.’’

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “We are delighted to welcome GRID as an Associate Member of IBIA. This partnership is a landmark for the esports sector and reflects our commitment to expanding our integrity initiatives into new markets. GRID’s expertise in esports data monitoring and integrity standards is an invaluable asset in our shared mission to combat betting corruption globally.”

 

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ComeOn Group and Astralis unite to drive esports engagement in the Nordics

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ComeOn Group announced a sponsorship partnership between its flagship brand ComeOn! and Denmark based Astralis, one of the most esteemed esports organisations globally. As a global leader in esports, Astralis is providing a vibrant and engaging esports experience that is aligned with ComeOn!’s brand experience and is further enhanced by its focus in providing a leading esports betting destination.

As the official sponsor of Astralis, ComeOn! will be prominently featured across all of their platforms, including social media, team events, and competitive gaming content, boosting their brand exposure in key global markets with a focus on the Nordics. ComeOn! is already known as a vibrant brand in the Nordics and with the increased brand visibility it will be put at the heart of the fast-growing esports scene.

ComeOn Group continues to invest in its Sportsbook product experience that is powered by its proprietary sportsbook platform, where esports holds an important strategic market opportunity with its ever growing demand.

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Juergen Reutter, Chief Executive Officer at ComeOn Group, said: “We are very excited to team up with Astralis as this collaboration not only allows us to showcase our innovative Sportsbook platform but also strengthens our ties to the esports community. This partnership is very much in the heart of one of the fastest growing betting markets globally. Esports has seen great demand by our audiences, and we want to provide the best betting experience for our customers. This partnership is also a testament to our localisation and personalisation focus and by working together with Astralis, we can deliver unique experiences that resonate with our players and elevate the entertainment experience around competitive gaming.”

Mads Rasmussen, Commercial Director at Astralis, said: ”We are proud to present ComeOn Group as our new global partner. This partnership holds great significance for Astralis both as an organization and as a business, and we look forward to bringing the agreement to life, benefiting the vast majority of our fanbase – who are adults. We have undergone a long and very positive process with ComeOn, and the fact that they are European-based with licenses in all our key markets, including Denmark, has been a decisive factor in our decision. Astralis fans, both in Denmark and internationally, can look forward to an innovative new digital activation, which promises to deliver an exciting and engaging experience.”

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