Street Fighter 5 National Team Aims for a Medal
Street Fighter 5 National Team Aims for a Medal at ‘Japan Aid Games’ [Asian Games E-Games you Need to Know]
At the Hangzhou Asian Games, which opened on the 23rd, e-sports were adopted as an official sport for the first time.
Each country will compete for medals in a total of seven sports, including League of Legends, in which e-sports superstar Faker (Lee Sang-hyuk) participates.
Korea went on a medal hunt in a total of four events.
Today, on the 26th, the first match of a sport familiar to those in their 30s and 40s who have been to the arcade will be held.
It"s Street Fighter 5.
Spa 5 is a fighting game released by Capcom, a Japanese game company, in 2016.
It is the fifth series of games released, starting with Street Fighter, an arcade game released in 1987.
In Korea, it is famous for its game characters Chun-Li Jang and Dhalsim.
It was so popular in arcades that technology names such as Adogen and Oryugen are familiar to people in their 30s and 40s.
Street Fighter has currently released its 6th series, but the 5th version will be played at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
A total of 35 players from 22 countries will participate and it will be held as an individual event.
As a result of the Road to Asian Games regional competition, three top players from each region advanced directly to the round of 32.
The remaining 29 players will be selected through a lottery and preliminary round.
Korea"s representatives, Kim Kwan-woo and Yeon Je-gil, will begin the competition in the round of 32 as a result of the lottery.
From the round of 32 onwards, a double-elimination system will be used with a repechage match.
The bronze medal match and final match will be played in a best-of-seven format, while other matches will be played in a best-of-three format.
The Spa 5 national team consists of two players, Kim Kwan-woo and Yeon Je-gil, and coach Kang Seong-hoon.
Born in 1979, Kim Kwan-woo is a fighting gamer who debuted in The King of Fighters series in 1996 and boasts the longest career among the Asian Games e-sports players.
He is a veteran who has won 10 times and runner-up 11 times in domestic and international competitions, including Street Fighter 5 Offline Warrior and Online Warrior.
Yeon Je-gil, born in 1987, is younger than Kim Kwan-woo, but boasts good momentum, defeating Kim Kwan-woo in the final on the first day of the national team selection competition at the last Asian Games in Hangzhou to win the championship.
He has performed well, reaching the quarterfinals of the 2022 Capcom Pro Tour Asia, an international competition.
Director Kang Seong-hoon, who took the helm, is also a former fighting game professional gamer.
Born in 1983, he showed off his extraordinary skills during his time as a player, including coming in third place in the Spa 4 Korean national team selection competition.
After his retirement, he continued his practical sense by taking charge of broadcasting the official competitions of the sports company.
Spa 5 is a game produced in Japan, and the relative weakness of the Korean national team is predicted.
Yeon Je-gil also said at a press conference before leaving the country, “Japan and China have a huge user base.
“To be honest, we are better than Korea,” he said.
However, he expressed confidence by adding, “If I manage my condition consistently, I will definitely be able to secure a medal.”
Kim Kwan-woo expressed his determination, saying, “My family didn’t like playing games, but I want to show them ‘I accomplished something’ through games.”
In the round of 32 today, the Spa 5 national team will face Kim Kwan-woo and Yeon Je-gil against players representing Kazakhstan and Taiwan, respectively.
Afterwards, a total of 6 rounds of winners" and losers" brackets will be held.
If the two players survive, they will advance to the 7th round of the loser"s bracket, which is the semifinal, and the final of the winner"s bracket, on the 27th.
The bronze medal match and final match will be held on the 28th.