A TOTAL OF 64 teams are currently taking part in the preliminary round of the Elite Championships Series (TECS) Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) via online until tomorrow.
They are vying for the four spots in the final round which will be held at Level 5, The Top Komtar in George Town. All the four qualifiers, together with four other invited international teams, will compete in the quarter-finals on May 3 to determine the top four teams for the semi-finals. The semi-finals and final will be held on May 4.
State Youth and Sports Committee chairman Soon Lip Chee said the state government, through Penang Youth Development Corporation (PYDC), was proud to be able to work with Phidisk Sdn Bhd and the Pantheon Group to organise the competition.
He said out of the 64 teams, nine are from other countries. The foreign teams are from Singapore (four), Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Mongolia (one each).
A total prize money of RM50,000 is up for grabs, with the champions winning RM20,000, runners-up (RM10,000), third and fourth placed teams (RM6,000 each) and fifth to eighth teams (RM2,000 each).
“There is no denying that E-sport is a growing sport in Malaysia as well as around the world. The Penang government is always keen to establish a healthy and positive platform for the people of Penang, especially the youth,” Soon said.
“PhiDisk is a Penang-based company which supplies NAND-flash product, an essential component of data storage (SSD) in a computer while the Pantheon Group is the first company in Malaysia to create an E-Sports Arena that is ideal for organising E-tournaments.”
He added that under the state Budget 2018, the Penang government has allocated RM1 million for the development of E-Sports.
Phidisk founder cum chairman Kendrick Hung said the championship was so far the biggest in the northern region.
Although the prize giving of the championship is scheduled to be held at 9pm on May 4, the event will officially end on May 5 as the organisers will maintain the computers to allow e-sport lovers to experience the game and also enjoy some promotions.
Story by J. Kirrthana