Hong Kong bagged its second esports medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Monday, taking bronze in the Honor of Kings event after a defeat to Malaysia.
Developed in China, Honor of Kings is a mobile multiplayer online battle arena in which two teams of five race to destroy the opponent's base, with the Asian Games version offering 85 heroes.
The Hong Kong squad of Cheng Ka-hin, Kwok Ho-wa, Kong Tsz-kin, Li Ka-hing, Deng Xinzhan and Chui Sum-ki made a strong start by winning both group matches, then beat Laos in the quarter-finals.
However, the team then struggled in the semi-final and lost two matches to Malaysia. With no third-place playoff, Hong Kong shared the bronze medal with the Philippines.
Notably, three of the six players — Cheng, Chui and Kwok— previously competed in the Arena of Valor event at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
“To go from a hobby to a medal for the city is meaningful ,” said Kwok, hoping esports would continue to grow in Hong Kong.
For Cheng, the medal was a reward after the team — not all of whom were professional players — poured all their time and effort into the Asian Games.
"Esports training is no less demanding than other traditional sports — the hours are even longer," he said, estimating he spent more than 10 hours a day on training, plus personal practice and reviewing match footage.
With misperceptions still persisting around the emerging sport, Kong said he hoped the medal would make a difference, noting esports was no different from other sports, with a professional training system, coaches, youth training and competitions.
Recounting his family's opposition when he entered esports five or six years ago, Kong said the medal was also proof to himself that he had not made a bad choice.
In recognition of their podium finish, the six players will receive a collective cash incentive of HK$500,000 under the Jockey Club Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme.
The scheme awards HK$2 million, HK$1 million and HK$500,000 to the top three team finishes, and HK$1 million, HK$500,000 and HK$250,000 to individual gold, silver and bronze medallists.
