Sri Lanka’s largest university-level sports gala returns as a physical event

• Gamer.LK’s Inter-University Esports Championship 28 to 29 October powered by SLT-MOBITEL

Gamer.LK has announced the eighth edition of its Inter-University Esports Championship ‘23 powered by SLT-MOBITEL. The Championship will revert to its in-person format, scheduled for 28 to 29 October at Trace Expert City, Maradana. Commercial Bank steps in as the Banking Partner and ViewSonic Gaming is the Official Gaming Monitor. Open exclusively to students from Sri Lankan universities and higher education institutions, this event has evolved into a much-anticipated highlight in the local university sports calendar.

Organised by Gamer.LK, Sri Lanka’s premier Esports and video games powerhouse, the Championship brings together the finest Esports talents at the university level. Last year, over 1,200 students representing more than 60 universities participated in the online Championship, where renowned institutions such as University of Moratuwa, University of Colombo, University of Ruhuna, University of Kelaniya, NSBM, IIT, SLIIT, KDU, CINEC, ICBT, ACBT, ESOFT, NIBM, BCAS, and many others competed for the coveted Championship title. 

The title has been claimed by APIIT in 2016, ICBT in 2017, SLIIT in 2018 and 2022, IIT in 2019, NSBM in 2020 and the University of Moratuwa in 2021.

CEO and Founder of Gamer.LK Raveen Wijayatilake expressed his anticipation for the upcoming championship saying, “We’ve seen the enthusiasm for Esports grow year-on-year at the university level through our tournament, but the return of a physical LAN event has taken that enthusiasm to new heights. Esports is rapidly cementing its place alongside traditional sports on the global stage, and we’re thrilled to witness this trend manifesting in the university sports scene in Sri Lanka.”

Recognised as an official sport in 2019 by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Esports in Sri Lanka has experienced an extraordinary surge in popularity in recent times. The heightened excitement surrounding Esports was highlighted by its inclusion as a medal sport at this year’s Asian Games.

Building on the collaboration since 2022, this year’s championship is once more supported by SLT-MOBITEL, the leading National ICT Solutions Provider, reaffirming its position as the title sponsor. SLT-MOBITEL continues to be a trailblazer in advancing digital entertainment and Esports in Sri Lanka, providing a range of specialized products designed to cater to the gaming community.

“We are thrilled to renew our role as the title partner for this year’s Championship. We aim to continue our unwavering support for Esports in Sri Lanka, empowering gamers to enjoy an unmatched experience. SLT-MOBITEL’s cutting-edge Fibre offers the fastest broadband connectivity, along with subscription-based packages on our SLT-MOBITEL gaming and Esports platform, contributing to the growth of the local Esports scene. These innovations expand opportunities for gamers to compete and reap rewards. We warmly welcome university gamers to join us in this exciting journey as we work towards shaping a digital future for Sri Lanka,” stated SLT-MOBITEL Chief Marketing Officer Prabhath Dahanayake.

Commercial Bank is the Banking Partner for the event, coming forward to support this much anticipated event through its Youth Savings account Vibe. Commercial Bank Vibe is a youth account with unique benefits, designed for the youth who live beyond boundaries.

ViewSonic Gaming is the event’s official Gaming Monitor partner. ViewSonic is a leading global provider of visual solutions and conducts business in over 100 countries worldwide. Having been active over the last three decades, most of today’s Esports athletes started their journeys on a ViewSonic Monitor. ViewSonic Gaming carries this legacy forward with its commitment to providing high performance gaming display solutions for both casual gamers and hardcore Esports athletes.

The 2023 Championship will feature a lineup of many popular Esports titles in Sri Lanka such as Valorant, PUBG MOBILE, Free Fire, Rainbow Six Siege, Mobile Legends Bang Bang, 

DOTA 2, League of Legends and many more including individual titles such as FIFA 23, Mortal Kombat 1, Forza Horizon 5 and Rocket League. Furthermore, a dedicated women’s league will also be conducted, aligning with Gamer.LK’s commitment to promoting Esports as an inclusive and gender-neutral sport. 

Registrations for the Championship are open on the InGame Esports platform at https://ingame.gg. More information about the Championship can be found at https://university.gamer.lk.