The delegation of the Union of Electronic Sports of Montenegro is staying in Romania these days, where the World Championship in six titles is currently being held. The only Montenegrin competitor at this championship, e-footballer, Bojan Tatar, despite a good game on the virtual field, failed to pass the group. The president of the Electronic Sports Association, Filip Šoć, is satisfied with what our competitor provided at the competition.
"Bojan lived up to expectations and much more than that. Against the favorites of the group - competitors from Japan and Argentina, he took a point each, i.e. drew a draw, but he was just a little short of victory and those two points ultimately decided the passage", Šoć explains the situation, and adds that surprises are always possible in competitions like this, where players compete against the current world and European champions.
"Once upon a time, Europe was dominant in e-Football. Now we see that the whole world is playing e-Football and that some countries that were not there a few years ago are slowly making their way to the top of the world," notes Šoć.
The opening of the eSports World Championship was spectacular, so it is still being talked about, and Šoć also shared his impressions of the competition:
"As far as the opening ceremony is concerned, accompanying events, concerts, Comic-con, production, everything is at the highest possible level", points out Šoć, who, together with the representative of the NGO 4Future Mia Kraljević-Ćalasan, attended the IESF meetings for the past two days, where talked about the problems facing the gaming community.
"The biggest problem is finding a sponsor. This is the part that troubles all alliances and where we all have the biggest problem. It is very difficult to find people who understand the potential of this industry and want to switch from traditional sports to new technologies. But it will last for a certain period and soon we won't have a problem with that either. That is why education about the entire industry is very important, which is very large and difficult to bring to people in a standard way. And it offers a great perspective", notes Šoć.
What he is particularly proud of is that the team from Montenegro will also attend the education organized by the IESF in the following days, and many will receive a coach's license.
"In addition to the players, there was a lot of support for Jaša, from the media, TO Bar, 4Future, and many of them signed up for training courses prepared by IESF and partners. Even Bojan, as a player, signed up to follow all educations, because he sees his future in coaching, where he has already shown himself to be talented in the 11 mode, where he was the captain of efc Buducnosti, which won the Champions League and the Division League last season," reminds Šoć. .
He believes that such tournaments and events are a significant experience and an opportunity for gamers to compete with the best in the world.
"I expect more tourists next year, and maybe NTO will get involved in the work and promotion of Montenegro at events like this, because it's the best way for them to see what this industry offers and what its potential is, and to use our joint work and strength to make Montenegro a center of gaming in the Adria region and Europe, as well as a tourist destination for boot camps, festivals and various tournaments. The state should take advantage of the good positioning of SESCG in Europe and the world for the promotion of Montenegro", advises Šoć.
At the two-day meetings, there was talk about gender equality, and that everyone, regardless of gender and affiliation, should participate in such tournaments without prejudice and restrictions. However, given the completely different abilities of men and women, how much would individual players have an advantage and would they really be equal on virtual fields and maps, Šoć says:
"When it comes to gender equality, I'm always here to support. That's how the world federations divided the categories into an open category where everyone participates regardless of gender and affiliation, and a special category for women. The majority is in favor of the fact that only women can participate in the women's category, because any other approach can lead to abuse of the competition, because men have better predispositions for gaming themselves at the start, and that is why an open part was created, which is for everyone, as well as a women's part of the competition, which is only for women", explains Šoć.
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