The International Esports Federation (IESF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Women in Games (WIG), a non-profit organisation that aims to build a fair, equal and safe environment to empower women in the global gaming community.
IESF and WIG will work together to create a more inclusive World Esports Family. The first initiative between the two organisations will be the Women’s Featured Division of the CS:GO competition at the upcoming 14th WE Championships Finals in Bali, Indonesia. The event will promote inclusivity at the WE Championships and beyond by providing female gamers equal opportunities to succeed on Esports’ biggest stage.
Women in Games CEO Marie-Claire Isaaman said: “As Esports continues to grow as a popular activity, spectator sport and, indeed, as a business, so indeed has Women in Games’ commitment to supporting women, and those identifying as women, across all areas of the Esports world. We recognise and applaud the IESF’s goal of ‘legitimising’ Esports, and we are very pleased to have them on board as a Women in Games Corporate Ambassador.”
IESF Marketing Manager Ana Karakolevska added: “IESF is the home for the World Esports Family and we are delighted to contribute to the important progress being made in the ecosystem together with Women in Games. We are shaping the future policies of Esports and promoting responsible gaming and levelling up gender equality is a critical part of this. Being a woman in gaming myself, I am looking forward to our joint projects with WIG, and to present a good role model to young women all over the world who are interested in Esports.”
IESF recently announced that a record $500,000 prize pool will be awarded at the 2022 WE Championships Finals, set to take place from 27 November to 9 December in Bali. The CS:GO Women’s Featured Division is just the first of several initiatives IESF and WIG will work on together to create a more fair, equal and accessible environment for women in the World Esports family.
About the International Esports Federation
IESF is the unifying body for World Esports. Founded in 2008 by nine-member nations, IESF is currently composed of 111 Member Federations across five continents. IESF brings together all Esports stakeholders to achieve a united ecosystem for the development of sustainable and responsible gaming worldwide. The IESF Esports World Championship is the biggest multi-sport spectacle of Esports in the world. IESF also organizes the annual Global Esports Executive Summit in order to support the highest standard of Esports governance worldwide.
