Esports athlete Sabina Ibragimova from Uzbekistan, at just 20 years old, is anticipating her participation in the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games. As her country invests more in the esports industry, Ibragimova envisions a robust exchange with China in the esports arena.
Ibragimova is a seasoned esports professional with nearly four years of experience playing PUBG: Battlegrounds. Aided by the Uzbekistan Esports Association, she co-founded the KANIBADAM Girls team, and took part in the PUBG Mobile European Wonder League Season 2.
Recently, she shifted her focus to the Asian version of Arena of Valor, one of the Asian Games’ seven esports titles. However, her recent transition hasn’t dented her confidence in her team’s capabilities. “Our team’s strength lies in our unity and the time we commit to training and scrutinizing our matches. We’ve invested a lot of hard work, and I’m convinced we can top our region,” she affirmed.
Ibragimova is set to participate in the esports competitions at the forthcoming Asian Games slated for September-October in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang Province. This event will mark the first major international sporting competition to formally incorporate esports as medal events, mirroring esports’ rising popularity and global influence.
China’s esports industry has seen significant growth in recent years. In 2016, China’s Ministry of Education officially recognized esports management as a higher education major, giving rise to several collegiate esports programs. The success of China’s Edward Gaming (EDG) team in the 2021 League of Legends World Championship further fueled the domestic industry’s growth.
In a similar vein, Uzbekistan is advancing its esports development. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev ratified a presidential decree in November 2022, formally distinguishing esports as a unique sports discipline. The decree aims to stimulate the industry’s expansion and includes measures for professional esports training and the development of industry-specific specialists, according to Xinhua News Agency.
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