News Archives ::: Malaysian pro-gamers sought for greatest sporting project of the 21st century


Media Release


‘Cyber athletes’ pay courtesy visit to Prime Minister
Team Malaysia gets Pak Lah’s blessings for participation at the sixth Electronic Sports World Cup in San Jose, USA from 25-27 August 2008



Team Kingsurf Manager, Eryc Wei Zhen greets Pak Lah as Team Malaysia watches on in the background. From left to right: Trackmania Nations Forever pro-gamer, Tang Chee Keong (hidden) and DotA's Team Kingsurf - Lee Wen Chek, Mar Yung Chia, Ng Wei Poong, Ng Kim Jen, Lee Vei Siang.

 

Kuala Lumpur, 20 August 2008 – Six Malaysian youth created history today by being the first Malaysian professional gamers (pro-gamers) to meet with Malaysian Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah Badawi on a courtesy visit at the Parliament. YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah Badawi congratulated the Malaysian team and wished for them to make Malaysia proud.

The Malaysian contingent of ‘cyber athletes’ will participate in this year’s sixth Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) - the ‘Olympics’ of professional PC-gaming competitions. The pro-gamers will be amongst 750 gamers from 40 countries in San Jose, USA at the World Finals from 25-27 August 2008.

Team Kingsurf from Johor Bahru, touted to be ranked fifth in the world in the strategy game Defense of the Ancients (5v5 DotA) © Blizzard is represented by Lee Wen Chek a.k.a. “Xiaogui” (age 20), Ng Wei-Poong a.k.a. “Yamateh” (age 18), Lee Vei Siang a.k.a. “PapaXiong” (age 18), Ng Kim Jen a.k.a. Sakura (age 20) and Mar Yung-Chia a.k.a. x|aOmA (age 20). Meanwhile, Tang Chee Keong a.k.a. Luige (age 23) will play car-racing game - Trackmania Nations Forever © Nadeo. Pro-gamer Yan Meng Choon a.k.a. “Paulyan” who plays Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne © Blizzard (1v1) was taken ill at the last minute and will not be able to join the contingent. 1st Runner-up, Lee Hoong Kit a.k.a. “M1-NOX” is his hopeful replacement time permitting.

The contingent will be led by ESWC National Directors - Jasmine Low Hong Chun and Yeo Seok Ling of Go International Group Sdn Bhd - Master licensees and Organiser for Malaysia.

ESWC 2008 Malaysia is sponsored by Intel, Blue Thunder, Yokohama Battery, Manli, Sendi Mutiara Multimedia, Steel Series and War Mart; and is endorsed by the Creative Multimedia Content Initiative of the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDEC) and attracted a total of 1027 participants who signed up for Qualifiers held nationwide in ten locations including East Malaysia.

This will be the first time ESWC will be held outside of France at NVIDIA’s NVision 2008 - a 3-days adrenaline-pumping visual computing event which includes the 5th Annual I-Games expo and a Guinness World Record Breaking Attempt for the largest LAN party.

Note to the Editor:
Interviews with the Malaysian Champion teams can be arranged.


Media Inquiries:
Jasmine Low c/o Go International Group Sdn Bhd

Tel: (603) 7727 0093 // HP: +6017 623 0288 // Email: jasminelow@gmail.com

FACT SHEET

About Go International Group Sdn Bhd
A marketing and communication solutions company founded in 2006, Go
International Group abides by four values; Sharing of Insights, Integrity,
Valour and Love. Official organiser and license owner of ESWC in Malaysia, Go is
committed to serving youth. It produces events, which empower young Malaysians
to step up into the world. The group has pledged to enhance e-sports via ESWC
2008 Malaysia; and to produce an independent short film on the event. Go has
avidly supported the ‘indie’ scene via its regular community project,
Doppelganger Open Mic and Stage, which has offered youth a platform for creative
expression since 2002. More about Go International Group at
www.gointernationalgroup.com; more about ESWC 2008 Malaysia at
www.eswc.com/malaysia
.

About Independent Youth Festival
Organiser, Go International Group has designed back-to-back activities for youth
during the 3-day festival at 1 Utama. The ‘Indie Youth Festival’ is an event
which celebrates the independent spirit; self-expression through the Arts; and
the celebration of pop and digital culture! We’re all linked through a common
thread these days – new media.

About Electronic Sports World CupTM
ESWC originated from community Local Area Network (LAN) parties in Paris,
France. Last year, the e-sports phenomenon attracted tens of millions who
watched the World Finals On-Stage Show broadcasted live each year via TV, IPTV,
Mobile, Internet and gaming devices. There, 35,000 visitors attended the
community convention; whilst 750 of the best pro-gamers from 51 countries
competed for the USD$250,000 prize pool. Organised by Games-Services (France)
since 2003, ESWC is the world e-sporting benchmark and the ONLY Credible
Sanctioning Body for Video Games Competitions. More online at
www.eswc.com.