Asian Games ban for esports player over gaming ID storm

A Hong Kong esports player was disqualified from competing in the Hangzhou Asian Games and banned from all competitions for three years, as his gaming ID contains the word "liberate" - a word used in a slogan during the social unrest in 2019.

In an online match between China and Hong Kong held by the Asian Electronic Sports Federation on Sunday, esports player Lam Ki-lung used the name "Eazy.D.L.Liberate" when competing in the "Road to Asian Games-DOTA 2" competition.

The match was livestreamed on AESF's Weibo account, with the Hong Kong team losing to China.

Lam played two sets of the match.

But the AESF disqualified Lam from the "Road to Asian Games" match and prohibited him from joining the games in the future.

The Esports Association of Hong Kong, China then barred Lam from taking part in competitions for three years.

The esports association said that the personal remarks and behavior of athletes have nothing to do with the governing body.

"We respect all decisions made by the AESF. It is unfortunate for our athlete to be disqualified by the AESF," it said in a statement.

The association released another statement on Monday clarifying that Lam's account name included sensitive wordings, and it decided to suspend him from participating in competitions for three years until July 16, 2026.

It reserves the right to prosecute the player for breach of contract, the association added. "The penalty is severe but necessary to maintain fairness in the entire tournament and comply with competition ethics. Non-competitive factors and personal emotions should be excluded in international competitions," it said.

"Being an esports athlete means representing the image of esports in Hong Kong, China. We hope to uphold the Olympic spirit and maintain the purity of competition."

The association said it is possible to create a fair and harmonious esports environment through joint efforts and adherence to regulations.

The Hangzhou Asian Games to be held this September will for the first time include esports as an official competition. Eight game matches will be set up under the esports category.

Hong Kong will send 35 esports athletes to the games.

The "Road to Asian Games" is an official event under the Olympic Council of Asia and AESF.

A total of 29 Asian countries and regions will participate and based on the results, teams will be ranked for the Asian Games.

In 2021, Hong Kong's High Court ruled that the slogan "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" has a connotation of secession in the SAR's first national security case, in which the defendant Tong Ying-kit was found guilty of inciting secession. He was sentenced to nine years of imprisonment.