On 16 December, the Global Esports Federation (GEF) announced its creation in a stylish and policed ceremony at the JW Mariott Hotel in Singapore. In a press release, the organization introduced its "diverse" board of directors, composed of world-class experts with extensive esport experience.
"GEF sees an excellent opportunity for esports to learn from traditional sports in terms of experience in sports development, adhere to a "non-violence" stand, maintain fair competition, promote gender equality, prevent all kinds of malpractices and opportunistic behaviours, ban the use of stimulants, strengthen industry self-regulation, and care for players' development physically and mentally. GEF also believes that through organized and standardized activities that are in line with the Olympic values, esports will flourish in a positive and healthy direction." said Chris Chan, Secretary-General of the National Olympic Council of Singapore since February 2002, and President of the Global Esports Federation.
In order to carry out this heavy task, the Global Esports Federation intends to rely on one of its many Vice-Presidents, who is none other than Edward Cheng, Vice-President of the multinational company Tencent.
The Chinese holding company owns Riot Games (League of Legends), Supercell (Clash of Clans), and is a minority shareholder in Epic Games (Fortnite) at 40%. The company, which also holds shares in Activision-Blizzard and Ubisoft (up to 5%), has indicated through its vice-president, its intention to "cooperating with GEF focusing on areas, such as intellectual property, e-sports events’ organizations, talent education and training, business model, system and sustainable environment for the future developments of the esports ecosystem."
The Global Esports Federation can act as a first lever: that of the world of traditional sports and Olympic institutions, which have a strong presence on its board of directors. Of its seventeen representatives, three of whom are women, the GEF includes other vice-presidents emeritus, including former Canadian athlete Charmaine Crooks, silver medalist at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Also joining the GEF is China's Wei Jizhong, former president of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and honorary life vice-president of the Olympic Council of Asia.
Other board members include businessman Chris Overholt, CEO of OverActive Media (Toronto Defiant, Mad Lions), who is also a former President of the Canadian Olympic Committee. Chester King, CEO of the British Esports Association. Lorenzo Giorgetti, Director of Business Affairs of AC Milan, and Adrian Lismore, former Director of Business Affairs of the BP brand, well known in the extraction, refining, and sale of oil.
The proliferation of private publishers, acting independently to regulate their own market and their own competition, has given rise to entities — which can be perceived as influential groups — to try to govern a sector of the esport industry that has been likened to a financial bubble in the entrepreneurial world. In France, the example of France Esports differs from that of the Global Esports Federation in that the GEF is the first organization to receive a private market leader as a direct partner in its ranks.
In this war of influence, the International Esports Federation (IeSF), created in 2008 and recognized by fifty-six states, also renewed its executive committee on 20 December.
The occasion for the association to re-elect its South African president Colin Webster, with his "thirty years of experience in esport", and to welcome Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifah Al-Nahayan, a member of the royal family of the United Arab Emirates, or the president of the influential Korean Esports Association (KeSPa), into the very large esport family.
