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The Global Esports Federation welcomes International Federations – World Karate Federation, Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (World Pentathlon), and International Canoe Federation – as members. The GEF has now confirmed eight International Federations – more than 70 Member Federations – sharing the collective mission to bridge the connection between sport, esports and virtual sport – powered by innovative technology.
“The addition of new International Federation members is testament to the vital work the Global Esports Federation has put in to develop the community and facilitating the convergence of esports, sport, technology and innovation,” said Chris Chan, President, Global Esports Federation. “We anticipate greater collaboration among our members and partners in developing initiatives that are in service to the esports community through our #worldconnected platform.”
In addition to becoming members of the GEF, they also join the International Federations Advisory Council (IFAC), established to supplement the GEF’s knowledge capacity and scale for the benefits and potential of the future of esports.
Antonio Espinós, President, World Karate Federation, said, “We believe that the strategic partnership with the Global Esports Federation puts the World Karate Federation in the front lines of esports initiatives. This collaboration shows the WKF’s interest in continuing breaking new grounds, and it further demonstrates that karate is a modern discipline, constantly adapting to move ahead with the times. By working with key partners such as the GEF, we enable digital transformation for the sport to reach out to a larger audience globally. This is the first of a good deal of exciting news to come regarding karate and esports.”
“We are excited to partner with the Global Esports Federation to provide more opportunities to participate in esports to members of our global UIPM Sports community and the wider world,” said Dr Klaus Schormann, President, UIPM. "Like the International Olympic Committee, we see great potential for incorporating electronic and virtual forms of UIPM Sports into our movement. UIPM is committed to innovation – in the spirit of the founder of Modern Pentathlon, Baron Pierre de Coubertin – and to making our sports appeal to younger generations.”
“The International Canoe Federation is excited to join the Global Esports Federation, and to jointly explore and develop an interactive and engaging esports experience for canoeing,” said José Perurena López, President, International Canoe Federation. “The opportunities to elevate a physical sport with technology is boundless and is limited only by the imagination. We look forward to embracing esports as a new frontier to evolve the sport and appeal to an even wider audience globally.”
The popularity of esports has grown exponentially worldwide over the past few years and the opportunity for convergence with sport is now becoming a clear reality. The inclusion of the new International Federation members strengthens the GEF’s commitment to pioneer the development of real sport experience powered by technology, working closely with Global Partner for Interactive Technology, Refract.