Asian Games: Team India’s FIFA star Charanjot Singh conquers in seedings event

Seoul (South Korea), Aug 5 (IANS) Leading the charge for Team India, star FIFA Online athlete Charanjot Singh secured the top seeding for the country at the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, showcasing his dominance at the South Asia seeding event with stellar victories against Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

With a combination of precision and strategy, the talented athlete effortlessly secured a clean sweep against Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka in the best-of-three matches, gaining favourable seeding at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Karman Singh, another FIFA athlete who will be representing the country at the prestigious tournament in Hangzhou, secured the fifth position at the seeding event. Both athletes made their way to the Asian Games by prevailing in the National Esports Championships (NESC) organized by the Esports Federation of India (ESFI).

The Chandigarh-born athlete got off to the best possible start with successive triumphs against Sameer Gurung of Nepal and Dishan Sheruban Nithianathan of Sri Lanka with identical 2:1 scorelines. He then prevailed against Oytijjho Al Aff Tajwar Majumder of Bangladesh by a 2:0 scoreline to ensure an unbeaten run at the seeding event.

Sharing his feelings on the results, Charanjot Singh said, "Reflecting on the results, I feel proud to have got the opportunity to showcase my skills and gain a favourable seeding for India. I had put in long hours of practice and strategizing to prepare for my opponents and I am glad that it all worked to perfection. The level of competition at the Asian Games will be fierce, but I have full faith in my abilities. I will be giving my all to bring home a medal.”

The Esports Federation of India president Vinod Tiwari was elated by their performance.

"The exceptional performances of our talented athletes in the FIFA seeding event are a testament to our country's Esports prowess. We are confident that both Charanjot and Karman will replicate their performances at the Asian Games and prove their mettle against the top teams from the continent. The Esports Federation of India is fully committed to supporting our athletes as they prepare to compete on the grand stage and bring laurels to the country," said Tiwari.

A total of 21 leading FIFA teams from the continent will lock horns at the Asian Games in what is Esports’ debut as an official medal event at the tournament. India will be participating in four titles at the tournament – League of Legends, FIFA Online 4, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, and DOTA 2 in the Games which will be held from September 23 to October 8.

While India’s League of Legends team also secured favourable seeding by going unbeaten against Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan at their LAN seeding event in Macau, the nation’s DOTA 2 team came second in the seeding group, finishing in the top eight in the overall event that was conducted online.

The country’s ace Street Fighter V athletes Ayan Biswas and Mayank Prajapati secured fifth and sixth place respectively in their seeding event.