The in-person live finals of the Olympic Esports Series 2023 continued on Saturday with Baseball, Chess, Tennis and Shooting winners determined after a day of fierce battles at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre.

“I feel like I’m on top of the world. It hasn’t been the easiest to win two championships (Olympic Virtual Series 2021 and Olympic Esports Series 2023), it’s been a battle and my mind is just on this victory right now, ” says Mori Shoma (SHORA) from Japan, winner of Baseball (World Baseball Softball Confederation, WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS).

“It’s an amazing feeling that I managed to win. Of course, you’re always happy when you win any event. Preparing for chess is almost the same when you play online on a laptop and on the board. It’s almost the same sport, so I did my usual thing and watched some games and studied the tactics,” says Alexey Sarana from Serbia, winner of Chess (International Chess Federation, Chess.com).

Saturday’s Olympic Esports Series winners are as follows:

Sport	Winner
Baseball (World Baseball Softball Confederation, WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS)	Mori Shoma (SHORA) from Japan
Chess (International Chess Federation, Chess.com)	Alexey Sarana from Serbia
Tennis (International Tennis Federation, Tennis Clash)	Anass Benghazi (Anteo) from France
Shooting (International Shooting Sport Federation, Fortnite)	Lucas Malissa (anon) from Australia

“I feel amazing, of course. I wasn’t expecting to win and I was happy to get one of the Top 3 places, so I couldn’t wish for a better tournament,” adds Anass Benghazi (Anteo) from France, winner of Tennis (International Tennis Federation, Tennis Clash). “It’s difficult — the game is so close. The first one who makes one or two mistakes becomes vulnerable and I just had to keep my serve to take the win in the end.”

“I was really nervous. I’m really happy and excited (to win). The last two runs in the finals was not great and I’m pretty sure Alexander Feyzjou (Boltz) fumbled under pressure. The last two runs were my worst two out of the five, so I guess I’m lucky,” says Lucas Malissa (anon) from Australia, winner of Shooting (International Shooting Sport Federation, Fortnite).

Singapore’s players were also in action on Saturday. Chess players Tin Jingyao and Kevin Goh as well as tennis player Andrew Arriola were eliminated in the group stage of their respective events. Baseball player Chong Woon Hian (Woonie) finished ninth, while shooting player Winston Ho (Wisa) was 11th.

The Olympic Esports Series 2023 began in March, when both professional and amateur players across the world were invited to participate in the virtual sports competition, created by the International Olympic Committee in collaboration with International Federations (IFs) and game publishers. Approximately 500,000 players entered qualification rounds with hopes of securing their place in the first in-person finals of the Olympic Esports Series. A total of 131 players from over 60 countries, including 18 from Singapore, reached the finals.

The second day of the event also saw Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Mr Lawrence Wong attending the Olympic Esports Week, where he tried several games including Kayak VR (Canoeing), VR11 (Table Tennis), and Zwift (Cycling) at the Free to Play zone. The Olympic Esports Week concludes today with Olympic Esports Series winners in Motorsports and Taekwondo to be crowned.

Photo Credit: IOC, Lionel Ng

Tickets to the Olympic Esports Week are available now with tickets starting from S$10 per day and three-day passes are available from S$20, ensuring that more can witness the making of history and enjoy the epic competitions between some of the world’s best players. Day passes for families (two adults and two students) are also available from S$25. Full event agenda and tickets are available at SISTIC.