Gamer.LK’s Inter-School Esports Championship powered by Samsung Sri Lanka came to an exciting close with Gateway Colombo defending the title for the fifth consecutive year. The Championship which is organised by Gamer.LK, the leader in Esports in Sri Lanka saw students from across Sri Lanka battling it out across 20 popular gaming titles and representing their school in Esports.
Esports, short for Electronic Sports, is the competitive play of video games – an officially recognised sport in Sri Lanka by the Ministry of Sports. Gamer.LK began the Championship in 2016 with the intention of showcasing the positive benefits that structured and regulated Esports at a school-level can have.
The Championship saw over 140 schools take part as the event moved to a completely online format owing to the ongoing pandemic situation. Gateway College Colombo put on an impressive display securing the most gold medals to secure the Championship title with Ananda College Colombo and OKI International School Wattala coming in joint second place.
In addition, Colombo South International College, Dharmapala Vidyalaya Pannipitiya, Fetteresso Tamil Vidyalaya Bogawantalawa, Isipathana College Colombo, Sri Chandananda Buddhist College Kandy, St Marys College Negombo, Vidyartha College Kandy and Visakha Vidyalaya Colombo picked up gold medals in the tournament.
“Since Esports is centered around the recreational video games that students play at home, many parents and teachers struggle to understand how this extracurricular can support students’ educational goals. To properly embrace Esports in education, and harness its potential, one must think beyond the games. Gateway participates in structured programmes like the Inter-School Esports Championship organized by Gamer.LK that provides students an opportunity to hone leadership skills, sportsmanship, and communication skills as well as critical thinking, problem solving, interaction and collaboration as they play. With Esports included in the next Asian games and with prospects of being included in Olympics in the future, Gateway is proud to be the winners of this year’s Inter-School Esports Championship and for retaining the Championship for five consecutive years.” stated Surani Maithripala, Team Leader, Change Management – Gateway Group of Schools.
Samsung Sri Lanka was the title sponsor for the Championship. Samsung has been at the forefront of developing products and services for gamers and promoting Esports in Sri Lanka over the years, as it was identified as the fastest growing sport in the country.
The Championship is set to return for its sixth edition in September 2022.