MANAMA: By Mahmood Rafique, Editor: Following an impressive debut global final in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the organisers of BLAST Pro Series is keen to see Bahrain as one of its key destinations in its yearly global circuit.
The two- day BLAST Pro Series Global Final in Bahrain has generated a huge response the fans to sponsoring companies, thanks to the gaming ecosystem and huge fan base as well as the vision of the leadership.
The Ministry of Youth and Sport (MYS) and the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) in partnership with BLAST have brought this world-class esports festival to Bahrain. The festival was held at Isa Sports City which included a Fan Fest and two days of high octane esports.
In their final match, Astralis overran Team Liquid with an impressive 2-0 score. With that done, Astralis secured their top position in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive world rankings until the end of the year – and grabbed $350.000.
“Our hope and plan are that Bahrain will become one of the key stops on our global circuit. With the amazing response from the youth of Bahrain and the gaming ecosystem it is important that we don’t lose this momentum here,” Robbie Douek, CEO of BLAST in a statement told The24X7News Bahrain (www.twentyfoursevennews.com).
“Esports attracts a unique and growing audience, young people who are normally hard to reach, and therefore make up a very interesting channel for both broadcasters and sponsors towards reaching this segment. Technology companies see esports and gaming as one of their fastest-growing verticals. Bringing a Global Final to Bahrain gives these partners the opportunity to showcase how they bring world-class entertainment to millions of fans around the region,” Robbie Douek, CEO, BLAST, added.
The Middle East’s most high profile esports event has garnered the support of a significant number of Bahrain based companies as they seek to capitalise on the explosive growth of esports in the region and beyond.
“We are delighted to support the BLAST Pro Series Global Final in Bahrain. E-sports is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and hosting a tournament of this size in the Kingdom of Bahrain is a proud testament that our country is committed to being a leader in the region in all types of sports,” Mohammed Jamsheer, Director Marketing and Digital at Gulf Air, said.
Esports is valued at over $900million USD globally, and is growing at 30% every year. The growth in esports is outgrowing the overall gaming market. National Sponsors were Gulf Air, Batelco, Careem, Red Bull, Bahrain Tourism Authority
