The International Esports Federation (IESF) has announced that four more nations have joined as members: Colombia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Ukraine.
The International Esports Federation, a South Korean-based non-profit organisation, was established in 2008. It has also just revealed an agreement with the Asian Electronic Sports Federation, which saw the pair sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the objective of further promoting esports.
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The federation operates on behalf of its member nations in order to promote esports internationally. It aims to achieve this through four separate goals: increasing membership (and aiding in the establishment of new national esports associations); global standardisation of regulations; training and education through its (International Esports Academy); and through hosting the Esports World Championship.
The four federations which are newly represented in the IESF are 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).
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FEDECOLDE, representing Colombia, stated: “For Colombia and for our region, achieving this membership is a giant step to demonstrate our skills and commitment to Esports. We are a country with enormous discipline and players who will give their all in the next 2020 IESF Esports World Championship, Eilat, Israel.”
The addition of four more countries brings the IESF’s total count of member nations to 60, with six continents represented. Asia and Europe make up the bulk of the numbers with 24 and 22 respectively, with Macau’s arrival in 2016 marking the last time a new member joined until now.
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QCF, representing Kazakhstan, stated: “We are very grateful for becoming a new member of IESF and appreciate the time that Board and Secretariat spent processing our request. We hope that this is the beginning of our long and successful partnership. We will do our best to make it so.”
The IESF elected a new board in December 2019. The announcement was accompanied by a statement that its elections demonstrated “that it is the only body to truly represent the entire esports community (athletes, organizations, and publishers) through its democratic structures.”
Esports Insider says: With the arrival of four new member nations – including Turkey, which is already very active in the industry – the IESF is seemingly climbing closer to its goal of becoming a global federation for the promotion of esports.