The International Esports Federation (IeSF), which purports to be the governing body for the fragmented, nascent sport, has begun the process of relocating its global headquarters from South Korea to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

IeSF president Colin Webster attended this week's Dubai Artificial Intelligence in Sports Conference and Exhibition at the Dubai World Trade Centre, at which he signed a memorandum of understanding with the Dubai Sports Council.

Webster also met with Saeed Hareb (pictured together) and Nasser Aman Al Rahma, secretary general and assistant secretary general, respectively, of the DSC to discuss the move. 

The governing body, which has been based in Seoul since its formation in 2008, said that as well as having its HQ in Dubai, it would organise a number of top events in city, including the annual conference.

South African Webster, who defeated Russia's Constantine Surkont in last year's IeSF president election, said today: “I have been to Dubai before and every time I return, I just get blown away by the incredible pace of development here... It is an incredible city, with a great vibe and we would love to shift our global headquarters to Dubai. I believe Dubai can be the global hub of eSports. We would love to bring our annual IeSF summit here next year, especially since it is the year of Expo 2020 here.

“We are looking forward to working alongside Dubai Sports Council and the local eSports federation to launch new international competitions that will be held here in Dubai. We would love to organise something like eSports Club World Cup here, at one of Dubai’s many mazing sports venues.”

The UAE is one of the IeSF's 60 member associations.

Sportcal