Frederico dos Santos Rosário (left) and “Kengaroo” (right)
Macau won a bronze medal at a high-profile international esports championship in Seoul last weekend, losing only one match to the eventual champion from Iran.
Thirty-three countries and territories participated in the eFootball PES 2020 tournament, part of the 11th International Esports Federation (IESF) Esports World Championship which was held in the South Korean capital this year.
Macau was represented by Kengaroo, a Macau-based esports player and member of local esports association Grow uP eSports.
Kengaroo progressed cleanly through the group stages without suffering a single defeat, staving off Costa Rica (4-3), Finland (1-1) and South Africa (4-0) in rapid succession.
During the playoffs, Kengaroo defeated his rival from the United States 2-0, before being pitted against Vietnam in the quarterfinal. Described by Grow uP eSports as “a fierce challenge,” the local player scraped through by winning a penalty shootout to play in the semifinals against Iran.
Here, Kengaroo’s winning streak came to an end, with Iran earning a 2-0 victory over Macau.
In the playoff for third place, Macau defeated Poland (2-0) to earn a bronze medal, in what Grow uP eSports is calling an impressive performance by a local gamer on the international stage.
“Congratulations to Macau ‘Kengaroo’ Ken’s bronze medal achievement in eFootball PES 2020 at the 11th IeSF Esports World Championship in Seoul, Korea!” Grow uP eSports posted on social media, “once again, Macau has made history in Esports!”
According to Grow uP eSports, Kengaroo was the only participant who sat on stage with their country or territory’s flag wrapped around his chair during the competition.
“What a historical moment for Macau!” association chairman Frederico dos Santos Rosário told the Times yesterday.
Last weekend’s victory comes after an esports athlete also from Macau won a silver medal at the 2018 League of Legends competition.
“We hope that the Macau Government and our people could see and feel the positive impact that the unsung heroes and organizations in Macau are creating and further support us to continue this journey,” said Rosário.
On the weekend, casino owner Pansy Ho told mainland state media that there was room for further esports development in the territory. “We are all now talking about esports as an appropriate, or even major component that can have a place in Macau,” she said.
Her comments come amid a moment of controversy for esports in the greater China region.
In October, video gaming giant Blizzard Entertainment dished out punishment to a Hong Kong-
based esports champion who used a tournament to voice support for pro-democracy protesters in the neighboring SAR. The suspension drew criticism from fans, players and commentators in the West, some of whom threatened to stop working with Blizzard. In response, the U.S.-based video game developer reduced the suspension period and allowed the champion to keep his earnings from the tournament.
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