International Esports Federation
Introduction The '''International Esports Federation''' ('''IESF''') is a global organization based in South Korea whose mission it is to have esports recognized as a legitimate sport.
Members As of January 2024, there are 139 member states of the IESF, including:;Africa Electronic Sport Association (27)******************** *******;Pan American Electronic Sports Confederation (22)**********************;Asian Electronic Sports Federation (41)********** *******************************;European Esports Federation (46)**********************************************;''Oceania'' (3)***
History The International Esports Federation (IeSF) was established on August 8, 2008, by nine esports associations from Denmark, South Korea, Germany, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Vietnam, and Taiwan. In November of the same year, the organization held its inaugural general meeting.A year later, on December 12, 2009, the IeSF hosted its first international tournaments. These tournaments included the "IeSF Challenge" in 2009, followed by the "IeSF Grand Finals" in 2010, and the "IeSF World Championship" starting from 2011 and onward.In 2012, IeSF introduced the first-ever esports tournament for women during the IeSF 2012 World Championship.On July 7, 2013, IeSF was chosen as the representative for the electronic sports discipline at the 4th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, marking the first time esports had a presence in an Olympic event.In May 2013, IeSF gain recognition as the official signatory of the World Anti-Doping Agency within the branch of esports.In July 2013, IeSF submitted an application to join Sport Accord, with expectations of becoming a temporary member in April 2014.In November 2013, the IeSF hosted the IeSF 2013 World Championship and the 2013 General Meeting in Bucharest, Romania, a significant departure from their usual South Korea location.In May 2014, the IeSF was granted membership by TAFISA and announced its participation in the 2016 TAFISA World Games for All, to be held in Jakarta.In 2014, IeSF initially implemented gender-based restrictions in the ''Hearthstone'' tournament, but later amended its policy to merge the sections into open-for-all tournaments while still maintaining female-only tournaments with smaller prize pools.During the 2015 World Championship, an esports panel was hosted with international sports society representatives to discuss the potential recognition of esports as a legitimate sporting activity worldwide.The IeSF expanded further with the inclusion of new member federations, such as Colombia's Federación Colombiana de Deportes Electrónicos (FEDECOLDE), Kazakhstan's Qazaq Cybersport Federation (QCF), Turkey's Turkish Esports Federation (TESFED), and Ukraine's Federation of E-Sport of Ukraine (UESF), bringing the total member count to 60, spanning six continents.In July 2016, Macau became the 56th member nation of the IESF.In 2018, IESF voted to accept the United States Esports Federation (USEF) as a full member, establishing USEF as the officially recognized national governing body for esports in the United States.In a bid to expand into the Middle East, the IeSF signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UAE's Motivate Media Group, the parent company of "Gulf Business," as the esports community in the Middle East continued to grow, with over 300 million gamers in the region.In October 2023, IESF appointed Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family, as its president.=== World Esports Championships ===The IESF has held fourteen World Esports Championships: Year  Title  Location  Titles played  2009  IeSF 2009 Challenge  Taebaek''FIFA Online''  2010  IeSF Grand Final  Daegu''FIFA Online'', ''WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne''  2011  IeSF World Championship  Andong''StarCraft II'', ''FIFA Online''  2012  IeSF World Championship  Cheonan''Alliance of Valiant Arms'', ''StarCraft II'', ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2''  2013  IeSF World Championship  Bucharest''League of Legends'', ''StarCraft II'', ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2'', ''Alliance of Valiant Arms''  2014  Esports World Championship 2014  Baku''Dota 2'', ''Hearthstone'', ''Ultra Street Fighter IV'', ''StarCraft II'', ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2''  2015  Esports World Championship 2015  Seoul''League of Legends'', ''StarCraft II'', ''Hearthstone''  2016  Esports World Championship 2016  Jakarta ''Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'', ''League of Legends'', ''Hearthstone'' 2017  Esports World Championship 2017  Busan''Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'', ''League of Legends'', ''Tekken 7'' 2018  Esports World Championship 2018  Kaohsiung''Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'', ''League of Legends'', ''Tekken 7'' 2019 Esports World Championship 2019  Seoul''Dota 2'', ''Tekken 7'',  ''eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020''2020 Esports World Championship 2020  Eilat''Dota 2'', ''Tekken 7'',  ''eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020''2021 Esports World Championship 2021  Eilat''Dota 2'',  ''Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'', ''Tekken 7'',  ''eFootball''2022 World Esports Championship 2022  Bali''Dota 2'',  ''Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'', ''Tekken 7'',  ''eFootball'', ''PUBG Mobile'', ''Mobile Legends: Bang Bang'' 2023 World Esports Championship 2023  Iași''Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'', ''Dota 2'', ''Tekken 7'',  ''eFootball'', ''PUBG Mobile'', ''Mobile Legends: Bang Bang''
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