Global Esports, a leader in South Asia’s gaming scene, proudly welcomes Dr. Michelle Pain as the official Sports Psychologist for their newly formed BGMI team (Battlegrounds Mobile India). Dr. Michelle is geared up to facilitate the mental training sessions for the GE players as they embark on the highly-anticipated new BGMI season, the ‘BGIS 2024’ (Battlegrounds Mobile India Series 2024). Her role is centred on cultivating a positive mindset among Esports players, helping them navigate the challenges of competitive gaming while leveraging sports psychology principles. The BGMI lineup includes experienced IGL – Harmandeep “Mavi” along with young talents like Tanjot “Ninjaboi” Singh, Raghuraj “Slug” Singh, Harshit “Beast” Yadav and Akshit “Arclyn” Kumar.

A seasoned private practitioner in sports psychology working in traditional sports, her tenure as a tertiary lecturer at Monash University, Victoria University, and Deakin University adds invaluable experience to her illustrious career. Dr. Pain is also known for her pioneering work in developing innovative and accessible resources tailored for athletes and coaches, such as the acclaimed Pocket Psychology series. She has also authored an eBook ‘Sport Psychology Tools for Every Coach and Athlete’ that encapsulates her wealth of practical insights and knowledge. She also conducts educational workshops in sports psychology, catering to coaches at all levels and empowering them with effective strategies to optimize athlete performance.

Dr. Rushindra Sinha, CEO and Founder, Global Esports, said, “Dr. Michelle Pain’s innovative approach to addressing players’ psychological needs aligns perfectly with our vision to continuously innovate and empower our athletes and grow as professional players. Her invaluable guidance and rich experience will equip our players with the focus, resilience, and emotional balance needed to become the best version of themselves as they embark on this BGIS journey.”

With an extensive career spanning over three decades, Dr. Michelle brings unmatched expertise in empowering elite athletes and coaches across diverse sports organisations to optimize mental resilience and achieve peak performance levels. She aims to assist players in coping with stress, mind fitness training, making sound decisions under pressure, improving communication, and regulating emotions to elevate their overall performance on the global stage. Her appointment underscores Global Esports’ commitment to nurturing excellence and maximizing potential within the Esports community.

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Esport entertainment company BLAST has revealed the global financial technology company Revolut as presenting partner for the BLAST Premier Spring Final, ahead of Counter-Strike’s long-awaited return to the United Kingdom in the summer.

The partnership with BLAST is Revolut’s first foray into esports – an industry known for its next-level global entertainment and world-class experiences. It is part of the fintech’s strategy to provide unique experiences to a global audience of tech-savvy gamers.

With more than 40 million customers worldwide in 38 countries, Revolut’s popular online banking platform aims to revolutionise the way people spend, send, save and interact with money.

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Revolut comes on board as the Official Finance and Payments Partner of the BLAST Premier Spring Final, which is due to take place at London’s OVO Arena Wembley from 12-16 June. Revolut will feature heavily across the event, with both digital broadcast integration across BLAST.tv, Twitch and YouTube, with dedicated Revolut broadcast segments and physical branding and activations at the arena.

The Spring Final 2024 will be the biggest Counter-Strike event to take place in the United Kingdom since the London Major 2018, which took place in the OVO Arena Wembley and saw Danish organisation Astralis crowned champions.

Fans online will enjoy an economy focussed broadcast segment as well as a bespoke giveaway with fantastic prizes. Revolut will be kicking off the Spring Final action with an opening party on Friday, 14th June. A Revolut booth on-site will allow fans to sign up to exclusive discounts for Revolut customers and exclusive perks including queue skip for meet and greets with professional esports players.

Alexander Lewin, SVP, Commercial Revenue at BLAST said: “We’re thrilled to mark the historic return of CS arena events to the UK with a groundbreaking presenting partnership. Revolut has been at the forefront of digital banking and financial innovation for nearly a decade, and shares BLAST’s dedication to creating fantastic experiences for fans and customers. As presenting partner, Revolut will feature prominently across our entire broadcast and arena experience, and we look forward to incorporating their innovative digital-first approach. This partnership is testament to the value esports can bring to a leading global brand, and we are delighted Revolut has chosen BLAST for their first entry into competitive gaming.”

Deborah Wajsbrot, Head of Growth – Strategic Partnerships & Sponsorships at Revolut, said: “We’re delighted to be able to unveil Revolut’s marketing partnership with BLAST – our first in esports. BLAST is a world-class esports tournament and an iconic event for the gaming community. Just like Revolut, the gaming industry is at the forefront of innovation worldwide. This partnership is the beginning of our efforts to bring unique and unforgettable experiences to Revolut customers and gaming fans – not just at Wembley, but worldwide.”

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The BLAST Premier Spring Final gets underway on Wednesday, 12th June, with eight of Counter-Strike’s best teams descending on the UK’s capital to battle for a total prize pool of $425,000. The winning team will qualify for the BLAST Premier World Final later this year.

Participating teams: Astralis, FaZe Clan, G2 Esports, Natus Vincere, SAW, Virtus.pro, Team Spirit and Team Vitality.

 Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) today announced that 30 esports Clubs from across the globe have been accepted into its debut EWCF Club Support Program. The full lineup of Clubs includes 100 Thieves, Blacklist International, Cloud9, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, Furia Esports, G2 Esports, Gaimin Gladiators, Gen.G Esports, Guild Esports, Karmine Corp, KOI, LGD Gaming, LOUD, OG, Natus Vincere, Ninjas in Pyjamas, NRG Esports, Spacestation Gaming, T1, Talon Esports, Team Falcons, Team Liquid, Team Secret, Team Vitality, TSM, Tundra Esports, Twisted Minds, Virtus.pro and Weibo Gaming.

The EWCF Club Support Program is a pioneering initiative designed to promote the creation of sustainable infrastructure for multidisciplinary esports Clubs. Furthermore, the program empowers esports Clubs to expand their investment across more games, providing impactful career opportunities and competitive support to athletes around the world.

As members of the EWCF Club Support Program, these esports organizations can receive six-figure funding to enter into new esports titles at the highest level, diversifying their competitive footprint and providing more opportunities for esports athletes. The funding has already enabled esports Clubs to:

• Re-enter esports titles in which they previous established long histories of involvement, and enter new gaming genres with strong grassroots resonance

• Expand into new international markets by signing athletes and rosters outside their home region, fueling stronger global esports infrastructure

• Create novel content verticals to engage fans with compelling athlete narratives, along with hiring the staff needed to support those efforts

In response to the significant interest in the Program from Clubs all over the world, the Program increased the number of available slots from 28 to 30. Of the 30 Clubs, eight were selected through an open application period in February 2024, during which the EWC Foundation received more than 150 applications. Applications were judged on three core criteria: a Club’s esports pedigree, its forward-looking competitive strategy and goals, and its creative approach to content and fan engagement. The 30 Clubs hail from five major esports regions — Europe, Asia, North America, South America and the Middle East — making the EWCF Club Support Program a truly global endeavor.

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“The Club Support Program is critical to the EWC Foundation’s vision of building a stronger esports ecosystem and elevating esports as global sports,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO, Esports World Cup Foundation. “Because we received so many high quality applications, we expanded our original allocation of 28 Club Support Program slots to 30, a testament to the strength of our program as it supports some of the world’s best esports Clubs. I’m excited to cheer on these Clubs as they work to qualify for the Esports World Cup and its life-changing prize pool of more than $60 million.”

A Club’s acceptance into the EWC Club Support Program does not guarantee their participation at the Esports World Cup. All Clubs and athletes must seek to qualify on their own merits for each title. The prize pools in each Game Championship, along with the cross-game EWC Club Championship, are available to all EWC competitors. Regardless of their qualification to the Esports World Cup, all members of the EWC Club Support Program will be eligible for annual financial rewards based on their ability to drive viewership and fan engagement to the EWC.

The Club Championship, an innovative cross-game competitive format unique to the EWC, will award a total of $20 million to the top 16 Clubs based on their cross-game performance. At the event’s conclusion, the Club with the best performance across various game championships will be crowned the world’s first Esports World Cup Club Champion. Additionally, each of the 20 Game Championships will have their own prize pool with a combined total exceeding $33 million. A standout participant in each competition will receive a $50,000 MVP Award.