Pakistan secured the bronze medal in the battle royale event of the eSports Asian Games in Nagoya on Tuesday, marking a notable result for the country’s competitive gaming contingent at this edition of the Games. Thailand won gold, while China took silver after a 12 match competition concluded at Aichi Sky Expo Hall D, with a total of 12 teams from across Asia taking part in the event, reflecting a broad continental field competing for medals in the discipline. Pakistan was represented by Mohammad Huzaifa, Shayan Asad, Falak Sher Memon, Hasnain Rahman and Syed Sameer in the event, which brought together squads from across the continent to compete over the course of 12 matches at the Aichi Sky Expo Hall. The battle royale format, which has become an increasingly prominent addition to major multi sport competitions in recent years, gave Pakistan’s team the opportunity to compete against established esports nations in the region, including gold medallists Thailand and silver medallists China, both of which have built up a stronger track record in competitive gaming on the international stage.
This latest bronze is the fifth medal Pakistan has secured at these Asian Games so far. The country has already claimed two bronze medals in men’s singles squash through Noor Zaman and Mohammad Ashab Irfan, along with a bronze through the women’s cricket team and another bronze via MMA fighter Mohammad Asim Khan. Taken together, these results give Pakistan a medal haul spanning both traditional sports and emerging competitive disciplines such as esports, reflecting the growing recognition battle royale titles have gained within major multi-sport events, and giving Pakistan’s contingent a spread of results across disciplines rather than concentrating its success in a single sport.
Elsewhere at the Games, Pakistan’s women’s squash team had a difficult day, losing their fixture 3-0 to South Korea. South Korea’s Hwayeong Eum defeated Mahnoor Ali 11-2, 11-4, 11-7 inside 18 minutes at Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, before Minggyeong Heo defeated Sana Bahadar 11-5, 11-5, 11-8 to put South Korea 2-0 ahead. Dami Kim then completed the rout, downing Mehwish Ali 11-3, 11-8, 11-5 to seal the whitewash in straight games across all three matches. In the women’s team stage 1 round robin, Mahnoor also went down 3-0 to Macao’s Yeung Wai Leng, with the match ending 11-9, 11-3, 12-10 after 25 minutes on court, adding to a difficult outing for Pakistan’s squash contingent on the day.
The mixed results across squash and esports reflect the range of disciplines Pakistani athletes are competing in at this edition of the Asian Games, with the country’s esports bronze standing out as a notable result in a discipline that continues to gain wider recognition on the multi-sport stage. With the eSports Asian Games bringing battle royale competition alongside more traditional sports, Pakistan’s medal in the discipline adds a new dimension to the country’s overall showing at the Games, alongside its results in squash, cricket and mixed martial arts.
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