Asian Games: e-sport glory for Hong Kong as Kin0531 wins Hearthstone gold in Jakarta
Hong Kong’s regional federation chief hails Lo Tsz-kin’s victory and says he hopes this gold is seen as a triumph for all sports
Hong Kong have established themselves as regional e-sports power after Lo Tsz-kin won the Hearthstone gold medal at the Asian Games on Friday, with the head of the regional body calling it a momentous moment for the city.
E-sports enjoys demonstration status at the 2018 Asian Games – so medals do not count on the official tally – but it has been a successful staging with thousands of fans at the venue and online following the action.
Lo, who goes by the playing name of Kin0531, won the competition by beating Indonesia’s Hendry Koentarto Handisurya (Jothree) 3-1 in the final.
He had earlier beaten Kyrgyzstan’s Artur Mukashov (Gambit) 3-0 in the quarter-finals and India’s eventual bronze medallist, Tirth Mehta (Gccttirth), 3-2 in the last four.
Hearthstone is a strategy card game in which players can cast spells, summon creatures and use other effects to beat their opponents.
“This is a great moment for e-sports in Hong Kong,” said Hongkonger Kenneth Fok, who is president of the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF). “I hope this gold medal is seen not only important for the e-sport community but sports fans as a whole.
“It shows that the future of e-sports in the region is bright. Lo Tsz-kin has performed well throughout the qualifiers and again all the way up to the finals today.
“As AESF is based in Hong Kong, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Lo and his achievements. At the same time, I would also like to congratulate athletes from our host country Indonesia and India for their spectacular performance as well.”
Saturday is the last day of the eight-day e-sports competition with Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 being the final event. The main game was League of Legends, played over three days, with a dream final between China and South Korea featuring two of the most famous players in the world – China’s Uzi and Korean Faker.
China won the gold.
Other games played over the past few days are Arena of Valor, Clash Royale and Starcraft 2.
E-sports is likely to earn full medal status at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China as it makes a bid for Olympic inclusion.
