The founding meeting of the Harbin's electronic sports (e-sports) association was held at the Harbin International Conference Center on Sept 13. Leaders from the city’s sports bureau attended the conference.

From Sept 13, e-sports enthusiasts in Harbin finally have their own official organization, and they can enjoy international e-sports matches at home.

The association, approved by Harbin’s city affairs bureau, has won the attention of famous companies from both home and abroad. Lots of companies and guests attended the meeting, including Harbin International Conference and Exhibition Sports Center, Tencent, Xiaomi and McDonald’s.

After the founding of this association, Harbin will have a bigger influence across China and abroad, since world-class matches will be played in Harbin. Therefore, the e-sports industry could become an important part of the city’s economy.

The e-sports association will cooperate with investment companies to help promote the development of Harbin’s e-sports, including supporting the research and development of electronic products, the building of e-sports venues, the hosting of big fixtures, the upgrading of e-sports facilities and promoting a sports culture.

E-sports is a form of competition that is facilitated by electronic systems, particularly video games. Famous international e-sports competitions include the International DOTA2 Championships, World Cyber Games and Cyberathlete Professional League.