Day: August 29, 2025

Esports tournaments take video games to the next level — think of it like a gamer’s version of an athletic championship. Professional players compete in world-class arenas or stream online to massive audiences, often with the backing of global brands and sponsorships.

From breaking news and in-depth match analysis to exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes content, we bring you the stories that shape the esports scene.

Whether it’s a top player in a huge League of Legends or Dota 2 tournament, an up-and-coming team in the burgeoning fighting game scene, or a controversial CEO making sexually explicit comments, we’ll bring you the stories that make the headlines in esports.

Taking the World Stage

Despite still being in its early stages, esports have quickly risen to prominence and are now regarded as one of the most popular forms of entertainment around the globe. The competitions are backed by major video game companies and attract millions of viewers, with the biggest events boasting a prize pool that can reach $40 million or more.

The most popular games include multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), first-person shooter, fighting, card and real-time strategy (RTS) titles. Some tournaments are dedicated to specific titles, such as the annual League of Legends World Championship, the Dota 2 International tournament and the fighting game-specific Evolution Championship Series (EVO).

Leading the way in the field of esports are iconic teams such as T1 led by Faker, Fnatic with three major League of Legends titles to their name, and s1mple, who won multiple Counter-Strike championships for Team Secret. Those at the very top of their field have achieved legendary status and can earn multi-million dollar paychecks from their sponsorship deals with global brands such as Coca-Cola, Red Bull and Logitech.

International sports are global events that bring together people from all over the world to cheer for their local team. In many countries, sports are a major part of local culture and it can be a great way to experience it, especially as a foreign student or intern. International sports can also bring out the best in people, for example, the incredible unity of the crowd when a team scores and the country goes wild!

Throughout history, sport has served as an instrument for political change. It has brought nations together through war, helped promote peace and reconciliation, and promoted social development and equality. But it can also be a source of conflict, as in the case of the 1936 Olympic Games when Adolf Hitler refused to recognize Jesse Owens’ gold medals. Hosting international sporting events can also bring prestige and profits to global sports organizations and repressive regimes. These gains often come at the expense of human rights and justice.

International law has been developed to address the unique issues that sports and athletes face. International sports are regulated by international bodies such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which oversees the organization of the Olympics, and by international sports federations, non-governmental organizations responsible for the regulation of their own sport at the international level. These IFs cooperate with the IOC and are recognized by it. For more on the legal aspects of international sports, see James A.R. Nafziger, Transnational law of sports and IFs; David McArdle, Sports law: theory and practice; and Dimitrios Panagiotopoulos, Sports law: a European dimension.