International Esports Federation
AbbreviationIESF
FormationAugust 11, 2008 (2008-08-11)
TypeSports federation
HeadquartersBusan, South Korea
Official language
English
President
Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud
Main organ
General Assembly
Websitehttps://iesf.org

The International Esports Federation (IESF) is a global organization based in South Korea whose mission it is to have esports recognized as a legitimate sport.

Members

As of 2023, there are 140 member states of the IESF, including:[1]

Africa Electronic Sport Association (27)
Pan American Electronic Sports Confederation (22)
Asian Electronic Sports Federation (41)
European Esports Federation (47)
Oceania (3)

History

The International Esports Federation (IeSF) was established on August 8, 2008, by nine esports associations from Denmark, South Korea, Germany, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Vietnam, and Taiwan. In November of the same year, the organization held its inaugural general meeting.

A year later, on December 12, 2009, the IeSF hosted its first international tournaments. These tournaments included the "IeSF Challenge" in 2009, followed by the "IeSF Grand Finals" in 2010, and the "IeSF World Championship" starting from 2011 and onward.[2]

In 2012, IeSF introduced the first-ever esports tournament for women during the IeSF 2012 World Championship.

On July 7, 2013, IeSF was chosen as the representative for the electronic sports discipline at the 4th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, marking the first time esports had a presence in an Olympic event.[3]

In May 2013, IeSF gain recognition as the official signatory of the World Anti-Doping Agency within the branch of esports.[4]

In July 2013, IeSF submitted an application to join Sport Accord, with expectations of becoming a temporary member in April 2014.[5]

In November 2013, the IeSF hosted the IeSF 2013 World Championship and the 2013 General Meeting in Bucharest, Romania, a significant departure from their usual South Korea location.

In May 2014, the IeSF was granted membership by TAFISA and announced its participation in the 2016 TAFISA World Games for All, to be held in Jakarta.[6]

In 2014, IeSF initially implemented gender-based restrictions in the Hearthstone tournament, but later amended its policy to merge the sections into open-for-all tournaments while still maintaining female-only tournaments with smaller prize pools.[7]

During the 2015 World Championship, an esports panel was hosted with international sports society representatives to discuss the potential recognition of esports as a legitimate sporting activity worldwide.[8]

The IeSF expanded further with the inclusion of new member federations, such as Colombia's Federación Colombiana de Deportes Electrónicos (FEDECOLDE), Kazakhstan's Qazaq Cybersport Federation (QCF), Turkey's Turkish Esports Federation (TESFED), and Ukraine's Federation of E-Sport of Ukraine (UESF), bringing the total member count to 60, spanning six continents.[9]

In July 2016, Macau became the 56th member nation of the IESF.[10]

In 2018, IESF voted to accept the United States Esports Federation (USEF) as a full member, establishing USEF as the officially recognized national governing body for esports in the United States.[11]

In a bid to expand into the Middle East, the IeSF signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UAE's Motivate Media Group, the parent company of "Gulf Business," as the esports community in the Middle East continued to grow, with over 300 million gamers in the region.[12]

In October 2023, IESF appointed Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family, as its president.[13]

World Esports Championships

The IESF has held fourteen World Esports Championships:

YearTitleLocationTitles played
2009IeSF 2009 ChallengeSouth Korea TaebaekFIFA Online
2010IeSF Grand FinalSouth Korea DaeguFIFA Online, WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne
2011IeSF World ChampionshipSouth Korea AndongStarCraft II, FIFA Online
2012IeSF World ChampionshipSouth Korea CheonanAlliance of Valiant Arms, StarCraft II, Tekken Tag Tournament 2
2013IeSF World ChampionshipRomania BucharestLeague of Legends, StarCraft II, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Alliance of Valiant Arms
2014Esports World Championship 2014Azerbaijan BakuDota 2, Hearthstone, Ultra Street Fighter IV, StarCraft II, Tekken Tag Tournament 2
2015Esports World Championship 2015South Korea SeoulLeague of Legends, StarCraft II, Hearthstone
2016Esports World Championship 2016Indonesia Jakarta[14]Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Hearthstone
2017Esports World Championship 2017South Korea BusanCounter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Tekken 7
2018Esports World Championship 2018Taiwan KaohsiungCounter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Tekken 7[15]
2019Esports World Championship 2019South Korea SeoulDota 2, Tekken 7, eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020
2020Esports World Championship 2020Israel EilatDota 2, Tekken 7, eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020
2021Esports World Championship 2021Israel Eilat[16]Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Tekken 7, eFootball
2022World Esports Championship 2022Indonesia BaliDota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Tekken 7, eFootball, PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
2023World Esports Championship 2023Romania Iași[17]Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Tekken 7, eFootball, PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

References

  1. ↑ "Members of IESF". iesf.org. December 31, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  2. ↑ leSF. "IeSF". Archived from the original on January 5, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  3. ↑ leSF. "media > IeSF News > [IeSF News] Updates on 4th Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games and IeSF 2013 Asia Conference". Archived from the original on September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Anti-Doping Community". World Anti-Doping Agency. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  5. ↑ leSF. "media > IeSF News > [IeSF News] IeSF submitted its membership application to "Sport Accord"". Archived from the original on September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  6. ↑ "IeSF, 국제체육기구 가맹 "e스포츠도 생활체육"". May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  7. ↑ Jenna Pitcher (July 3, 2014). "Previously male-only Hearthstone competition now open to all genders". Polygon. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  8. ↑ [2015 IESF] e-Sports Summit with International Sports Society -EsportsTV. December 3, 2015. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021 – via YouTube.
  9. ↑ Zalik, Dejan (June 23, 2016). "International e-Sports Federation Launches Initiative To Bring Esports To The Olympics". EsportsBets.com.
  10. ↑ "Grow uP eSports". growupesports.com.
  11. ↑ Mackay, D. (August 12, 2019). "International eSports Federation Accepts United States as Latest Member". The Sports Digest.
  12. ↑ Mansoor, Zainab (November 14, 2019). "International Esports Federation to expand into the Middle East". GulfBusiness.com.
  13. ↑ Nordland, Jake (October 3, 2023). "IESF appoints Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal as President". Esports Insider. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  14. ↑ "8th E-Sports World Championships to Be Held in Jakarta, Indonesia - Esports by Inquirer.net". March 18, 2016.
  15. ↑ "TEKKEN 7 Announces as Game Title for 10th Esports World Championship -". March 30, 2018. Archived from the original on May 24, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  16. ↑ "85 countries will play at the IESF's 13th Esports World Championship". May 21, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Six games to return for IESF World Championships in Romania". April 7, 2023.
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