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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter

The inaugural Global Exports Federation (GEF)’s #worldconnected series held in December attracted a huge turnout with participants from 75 countries and territories across seven regions of the world.

In a press release early this week, GEF said the regional esports competitions hosted by Member Federations attracted close to 5 000 esports players worldwide competing in 11 titles, drawing over half a million spectators online.

The successful staging of the games came at a time when most sporting events in the world were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“While so many events around the world were cancelled or postponed in 2020, our #wcs20 programme demonstrated the Global Esports Federation’s capability, drawing the world’s esports community together. We are encouraged by the support from our diverse Member Federations and are committed to continuous collaboration. We kick-off 2021 with renewed determination and commitment to promoting the credibility, legitimacy and prestige of esports,” said Chris Chan, president of the Global Esports Federation.

He said at the GEF’s December board meeting, they reaffirmed their commitment to providing an integrated service platform to the Member Federations, assisting further growth and development.

“This year we will focus on diverse strategic initiatives, as well as the development and delivery of our global events portfolio, including our annual flagship Global Esports Games,” said Chan.

Zimbabwe is represented in the GEF board by veteran sports administrator Tommy Sithole and Tyrone Seward, who are chairperson and vice-chairperson of two of the eight Global Esports Federation (GEF) Commissions.

Sithole, who is also the Zimpapers board chairperson, chairs the federation’s Governance and Ethics Commission, while Seward, husband to Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry, deputises Chester King in the Education, Culture and Wellness Commission.