An e-mazing experience

In the most anticipated esports duel of the Hangzhou Asian Games, the Republic of Korea showed absolute dominance to beat Team China 2-0 in Thursday's League of Legends (LoL) semifinal clash.

The defeat saw Team China dethroned as the Games' LoL champion, having triumphed at the 2018 Asiad when esports was just a demonstration event.

But while the home fans were disappointed to see their heroes lose their crown, esports' massive popularity at the Hangzhou Games, where tickets for matches were snapped up within minutes of their release, still provided cause for celebration.

Team China coach Zhu Kai reckons esports' promotion to an official medal sport in Hangzhou is of huge significance to the sector.

"Joining the Asian Games is a very big affirmation for the entire esports community and the industry. I believe that as long as esports is on a stable development path, the industry will go from strength to strength."

Zhuo Ding, the Chinese player who goes by the gaming moniker "Knight", was delighted to make his debut at the Games.

"It's a great honor to represent China for the first time. I have participated in individual and club competitions before, but this time I am representing the country, and this competition is more important and different," he said. "We have to work harder to achieve better results, and we should also pay more attention to our image."

The Korean players also emphasized their pride in playing for their national team.

"Competing as a representative of the country, I feel a stronger sense of mission than usual," said experienced Korean star Lee Sang-hyeok (aka "Faker"), who served as a midlane substitute in Hangzhou.

Jeong Ji-hoon ("Chovy") echoed those sentiments, saying: "When I found out I had been selected as a national representative, I felt a mix of joy and worry to be honest. But as time went on, only the desire to carry out the mission remained."

Underlining just how seriously the players take the Games, Chinese player Zhao Jiahao was overcome with emotion after Thursday's loss, continually wiping the tears away.

Seo Jin-hyeok, aka "Kanavi", offered some kind words for his heartbroken rivals. "It was a tough match. China really is a strong team," he said. "We played equally well, and in both games, we won by a razor-thin margin."

Tian Ye, known as "Meiko", rued his mistakes in the semifinal but was also quick to commend his teammates for their performances, urging them to bounce back in Friday's bronze-medal match against Vietnam.

"I hope we can learn from today's match and play better tomorrow. I hope the players can adjust themselves well after today," Tian said.

Coach Zhu was already thinking ahead to the next Asiad.

"After 50 days of preparation, the players have all worked very hard and done their best in today's match, but it is a pity that their performances weren't quite as good as their opponents," Zhu said. "I believe some of the players will be back chasing glory at the next Asian Games, when I hope they use the experience they gained from this edition to raise their level."