eSports are competing for the first time in the 100-year history of the Central American and Caribbean Games, part of the 25th edition of the tournament being held in Santo Domingo.
The games this year coincide with the centennial celebration of the tournament and have already seen several decades-old records broken. The eSports competition adds League of Legends, eFootball and Street Fighter 6 as the chosen titles. Qualifying rounds are being held on Thursday, August 6, with the final round scheduled for Friday, August 7.
Diario Libre toured the facilities where the tournament is taking place and spoke with Yaqui Nunez del Risco Mejia, president of the Dominican Federation of Electronic Sports and international technical director of eSports.
A popularity that could not be ignored
Del Risco Mejia said the discipline was included because of the growth electronic sports have seen and how they have become a new form of entertainment. He said its inclusion is now "inevitable" given the great popularity the sport has gained in recent years, and that adding it puts the region on par with global sporting development.
Del Risco Mejia said the International Olympic Committee recognized eSports as a sporting discipline and created its own Olympic Esports Games, announced in 2024 in Paris. He said this is now a global reality and the region is not being left behind. He explained that Centro Caribe Sports included the discipline as one of 40 official sports that count toward the medal table.
What eSports involve
Del Risco Mejia said electronic sports simply consist of the competitive practice of video games. He said eFootball, being contested Thursday and Friday, is virtual soccer, the same sport played on the field but in a virtual version. He added that Street Fighter, a combat sport, is very popular in the region, while League of Legends is a team strategy game and one of the five biggest esports in the world.
High hopes for the Dominican team
Del Risco Mejia said expectations are high for the Dominican competitors and that he believes the country can win gold. He pointed to Saul Leonardo Mena, known as MenaRD, who has won multiple international competitions and is the only player in the world to have been crowned champion on multiple occasions in the top global Street Fighter circuit.
Del Risco Mejia said they hope and have faith that one of their representatives, specifically in Street Fighter, where the country has the world champion, can fight for the Dominican medal, and that he can bring home the gold.
