OCA, Tencent Esports Sign 10-Year Partnership to Shape Asian Esports
OCA, Tencent Esports Sign 10-Year Partnership to Shape Asian Esports
Tencent Esports and the Olympic Council of Asia have announced a comprehensive 10-year strategic partnership running from 2025 to 2035, marking a major step in the long-term integration of esports within the Asian sports ecosystem.
Under the agreement, Tencent Esports has been named the Official Esports Technology Partner of the OCA. Both organizations described the partnership as a shift from event-based cooperation to long-term system co-construction, with a focus on technology, competition standards, and ecosystem development across Asia.
The partnership builds on Tencent Esports’ involvement in esports’ inclusion in the Asian Games, beginning with its debut as a demonstration sport at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, followed by expanded cooperation in 2022, and culminating in esports becoming an official medal event at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou.
‘Unification of Responsibility’
The parties formalized the long-term agreement by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during the OCA Executive Board Meeting in Bahrain in October 2025. As part of the collaboration, the OCA appointed Yati Zhang, Director of Tencent Esports, as Esports Manager, tasking her with developing the Asian esports competition framework and broader ecosystem.
Dr. Husain Al-Musallam, Director General of the OCA, said the partnership reflects a deeper level of responsibility between both parties.
“This partnership is not just an upgrade in title, but a unification of responsibility. It signals that Asian esports has moved from an era of participation to an era of system co-construction,” Al-Musallam said, adding that the OCA aims to establish a sustainable model for esports development in Asia and beyond.
ECS to be Launched
On the technology side, Tencent Esports confirmed it will launch the Tencent Esports Competition System (ECS), an upgraded technical framework developed from its experience supporting top-tier tournaments, including the Hangzhou Asian Games
The ECS provides end-to-end technical support for future Asian Games esports competitions and other major multi-sport events, with a focus on stability, fairness, and operational efficiency.
Tencent Esports also plans to continue exporting technical standards and digital solutions to support the modernization of major Asian tournaments, drawing on its experience in competition operations and ecosystem management.
‘Tri-Pillar Drive’
Hou Miao, Vice President of Tencent Games and General Manager of Tencent Esports, described the collaboration as part of a broader vision for esports’ integration into the global sports system. He introduced what he called a “Tri-Pillar Drive” development model, which emphasizes collaboration between game publishers, continental sports organizations, and national or regional esports strategies.
According to Hou, the partnership with the OCA serves as a practical implementation of this model, with Asia positioned as a starting point for building a scalable and sustainable framework for esports within the mainstream sports structure.
The agreement positions both organizations to play a central role in shaping the competitive, technical, and governance standards of Asian esports over the next decade.