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Football for Friendship holds expert discussion on sports development during pandemic

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Football for Friendship holds expert discussion on sports development during pandemic
Football for Friendship holds expert discussion on sports development during pandemicReading Time: 4 minutes

 

Experts of the international online discussion “Motivation and training in the context of the pandemic: the impact of Internet technologies on sports” reached the mutual conclusion that the pandemic will boost the development of e-sports and broaden the way sports are perceived in the world. It’s expected that the existing trend will strengthen: over the past 3-4 years, the audience of e-sports events has grown 5-6 times.

 

The discussion was initiated by the Gazprom International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship, which has, for the first time, brought the entire season online in 2020. Meanwhile, the annual World Championship for Young Participants from more than 100 countries is held in the new football simulator Football for Friendship World. In the future, the app will become a gaming platform where anyone can train, join mixed international teams, and play their favorite game in the Football for Friendship format without leaving the comfort of home.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-Mm0ibEujE?feature=oembed&w=740&h=416]

The guest experts — football players and e-sports players — shared their views on how the pandemic is affecting the training process, and whether e-sports will be able to fully replace traditional sports in the future.  Alexey Smertin, adviser to the President of the Russian Football Union and Ambassador of the Football for Friendship programme, and Alexandra Kosteniuk, grandmaster, three-times winner of the World Chess Olympiads, and European Chess Champion, spoke about the impact of the pandemic on professional sports. Igor Bugaenko, head of the Special Projects Department of the Russian eSports Federation (RESF), spoke about the development of Russian e-sports. The discussion was attended by representatives of FC Schalke 04: head of the e-sports division Tim Reichert, League of Legends coach Dylan Falco, and professional FIFA player Tim Schwartmann (“Tim Latka”). The discussion was moderated by Euronews TV host Andy Robini.

Igor Bugaenko expressed his conviction that the pandemic can also have a positive impact on sports: “Despite the cancellation of many offline sporting events, we are doing our best to maintain the quality and spirit of the competitions that are currently held online. The pandemic has affected how people spend their free time. I think the main achievement of this period has been to broaden the way sports are perceived, enabling people to re-evaluate the role of e-sports in the world”. The expert also noted that Russia was one of the first countries to officially recognize e-sports. According to Bugaenko, in the last 3-4 years alone, the audience of e-sports events has grown 5-6 times.

However, according to Alexey Smertin, e-sports are hard to compare to traditional sports, with their “physical overcoming of oneself, pain and hard-to-achieve results”. On the other hand, if we take a professional approach, in both traditional and e-sports it’s important to focus on achieving results; so, in this sense, there’s no difference between them.

Tim Schwartmann (Tim Latka) has a similar view: “If young people want to be successful — be it in e-sports or traditional football — they have to work hard, train a lot for the game, and never rest on their laurels”.

Today, many football clubs are developing e-sports as a separate area. “In recent years, the popularity of e-sports has become evident. By investing time and effort into developing e-sports, we hope to establish a dialogue with the younger generation of football fans”, explains Tim Reichert, head of FC Schalke 04’s e-sports division. Reichert expects that self-isolation will accelerate the merging process of traditional and digital sports several-fold. In his opinion, e-sports and traditional sports already have many things in common: league structures, competitions, psychological demands for players, and regular training.

Alexandra Kosteniuk noted that the past months have become a landmark in the history of sport: “The pandemic has opened up a real Pandora’s box for chess players: if earlier, part of our competitions were already being held online, now it’s the most convenient format for both the audience and participants”. As she explains, the pandemic has stimulated an increased interest in online competitions over the past few months, “even in the case of chess, which is not the most popular sport among viewers, not to mention the world of e-sports in general”.

 

About the programme:

The International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship is implemented by Gazprom since 2013. Over the previous seven seasons, the programme has united over 6 000 participants from 211 countries and regions and over 5 000 000 supporters.

Young Players and Young Journalists are the participants of the programme – boys and girls aged 12 including children with disabilities. Young Players represent different countries and cultures united in the mixed teams. They show that nationality, gender, and physical abilities aren’t a barrier to becoming a team. Young Journalists cover the events of the programme in the International Children’s Press Center. All participants become Young Ambassadors of the programme and continue to share their Football for Friendship experience and promote universal human values: friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions, and honour.

UEFA, FIFA, football federations and the world’s leading football clubs, international charity foundations, famous athletes, politicians, and artists support Football for Friendship. The project has received multiple national and international awards in the field of social responsibility, sports, and communications, including the world record for the most nationalities in a football training session in history.

In 2020, Football for Friendship will be held in the online format. A special digital platform will unite over 10 000 players of all ages. It will become the home for international children’s competitions and a playground where anyone will be able to train, join into the international mixed teams and play their favourite game in the Football for Friendship format without leaving the comfort of their home.


Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: Football for Friendship holds expert discussion on sports development during pandemic

George Miller (Gyorgy Molnar) started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

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Explore the future of gaming at ICE Barcelona: 20 – 22 January 2025

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Explore the future of gaming at ICE Barcelona: 20 – 22 January 2025

Join the most influential gaming industry professionals from throughout the world when ICE opens at Fira Barcelona Gran Via, 20 –22 January 2025. The first edition of the world-leading business event to be held outside the UK will feature a record 1,000 exhibitors following unprecedented demand for space from world gaming’s leading innovators covering every sector and every jurisdiction.

ICE and the co-located iGB Affiliate – which will occupy 120,000 square metres compared to the 100,000 sqm used in London – connect the entire global industry and provide access to the very latest cutting-edge innovations, technological solutions, regulatory updates, and insights which assist entrepreneurial businesses to enter new jurisdictions and build market share.

ICE is the event where the industry launches tens of thousands of game-changing, landmark products and where visitors can explore the future of gaming. For more information on the event where the world of gaming goes to do business and to register: icegaming.com

 

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SIS and Premier Greyhound Racing reveal improved greyhound race time schedule

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Sports Information Services (SIS), the leading multi-content supplier of 24/7 live betting services, and Premier Greyhound Racing (PGR), the media rights company supplier of greyhound racing to the betting industry and direct to viewers, have collaborated to offer a revised race time schedule starting from 20 May.

Designed to protect the long-term future of UK greyhound racing, the new schedule will see morning fixtures start slightly later – moving from 10.47 to 11.01 and 10.54 to 11.09. Additionally, there will also be a slightly later start time for some evening fixtures aimed at a retail audience, with the first evening fixture now starting at 18.08.

Commenting on the improved schedule, Terry Mahoney, Head of Business Development at ARC, said: “The new race times will help make it easier for customers to navigate busy racing schedules as well as improving operations trackside. We will continue to listen, monitor, and adapt schedules where and when needed as we move forward to deliver the best service possible for betting operators as well as punters.”

Paul Witten, Managing Director at SIS, added: “We are passionate about delivering a greyhound racing service that benefits all of the sport’s stakeholders. Together with Premier Greyhound Raxing, we have introduced a revised racing schedule that benefits operators and their customers.

“Our approach to greyhound racing is grounded in sustainability and flexibility. This collaboration with fellow service providers allows everyone to enjoy all the high-quality action produced on a daily basis from tracks across the UK and Ireland.”

SIS has long-term agreements in place with bet365, William Hill, Paddy Power and Betfred to deliver its greyhound content across UK and Irish retail and digital channels. SIS also promotes this content across dozens of leading international operators, as well as through SISRacing.tv.

PGR offers greyhound action, cards, video replays, results, news and info on greyhounds.attheraces.com, and regular live broadcasts on Sky Sports Racing. Premier Greyhound Racing is a joint venture between Arena Racing (ARC) and Entain, the global sports betting, gaming and interactive entertainment group. Between them, the two companies own nine of the 20 licensed British greyhound tracks and ARC manage the media rights for five independent tracks.

The post SIS and Premier Greyhound Racing reveal improved greyhound race time schedule appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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EGT to create a sensation at FIJMA 2024 with its new products for the B2 Saloon and casino markets in Spain

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EGT will present its latest developments for the B2 Saloon and casino markets in Spain during FIJMA 2024, which will take place on 07-09 May. Alejandro Mosquera, director of the local office of the company, shared: “We have chosen to show the products that have the greatest potential for the country, and I am confident that our selection can offer something to everyone – to those, who are about to start their gaming business now, and also to those who want to make their business even more successful. We will be waiting for all of them at stand C17-C19.”

Among EGT’s newest proposals, that are expected to generate huge interest among visitors to the exhibition, are the multilevel jackpot Sands Princess AWP and the latest addition to the top-performing jackpot Bell Link AWP – the Bell Link Plus multigame, both of which are designed especially for the B2 Saloon market.

Sands Princess AWP will take players to the kingdom of Egypt, where each of the 5 levels can be won with any bet. The 4 games of the jackpot: Egyptian Tale, Pharaoh’s Desert, Sands Spirit and Mystic Dawn, will present to those eager for adventures and untold riches numerous opportunities for winning, but only the boldest ones will be able to reach the two linked progressive levels and turn sand into gold.

Bell Link Plus joins Bell Link AWP jackpot to add even more diversity to the choice of the Spanish gaming audience. The multigame’s 5 titles: Book of Realm, Burning Hot, 40 Super Hot, 20 Super Hot and Shining Crown, will dive players into the fascinating world of some of the most popular games of the company, now enriched with more chances for winning and entertainment.

Both Bell Link Plus multigame and Sands Princess jackpot will be housed in the Phoenix AWP cabinet – another product, designed specifically for the B2 Saloon market in Spain, which will make its debut on local level at the exhibition. Featuring 27-inch monitors and multiple ergonomic features, this model offers maximum comfort, while the video and audio capabilities, along with the latest EGT software, guarantee an optimal gaming experience.

The guests at the EGT stand will have the opportunity to see the new Premio Ganador multigame for the B2 Saloon market as well, which is expected to be available in the country in the near future and grab the attention of local players with its attractive features offering a lot of bonuses.

The selection will be complemented by the other well-known B2 Saloon cabinets and games, as well as some of the slot products with greatest potential for the country such as the General cabinets and the bestsellers Bell Link and Gods & Kings Link. The latest jackpot proposals Supreme Combo Link and Sheng Sheng Bu Xi, which were launched just a few months ago and have received very positive feedback, will also be showcased.

EGT Digital will demonstrate its rich portfolio of iGaming solutions as well, including instant and slot games, as well as the in-house developed “all-in-one” betting platform X-Nave, which provides operators with a complete solution for building and maintaining a successful online business.

“We will be delighted to welcome everyone who is interested in our products on our stand at FIJMA,” concluded Mr. Mosquera. “I believe that this year’s participation will be very fruitful just like the previous editions and we will receive many inquiries. We will be happy to continue the conversations with our partners and potential new customers in EGT’s new office in Madrid, which is equipped with a spacious showroom, where they will be able to see and test our developments on site once again. Its official opening will be on May 6 and we will be glad to share this experience with all our friends.”

 

The post EGT to create a sensation at FIJMA 2024 with its new products for the B2 Saloon and casino markets in Spain appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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