Commonwealth Esports Forum live in Birmingham

International forum convenes leading minds, idea shapers and diverse voices from around the world, explores the limitless reach of esports

Staged in parallel to the inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships in Birmingham, the Commonwealth Esports Forum spotlights leading voices, debating some of the most important issues, opportunities, and challenges facing the fast-growing global phenomenon and explores the limitless potential of esports. Thought leaders and experts hailing from esports, sport, academia, athletes & youth, government, technology, and business will convene at the International Convention Centre (ICC), Birmingham, on Friday, August 5, 2022.

Organized by the Global Esports Federation and the Commonwealth Games Federation, the Forum will take center stage, just a day before esports athletes from across the Commonwealth vie for the first-ever Commonwealth Esports Championships medals. Over 50 speakers from every continent on earth will offer diverse perspectives and debate a range of topics at the nexus of esports, technology, and society today, including a look to the future.

“We’re bringing together thought leaders and idea shapers from across the Commonwealth and the whole world to Birmingham to share views about the current and future progress of esports, the opportunities at the intersection of sport and immersive technologies, and the great things we can look forward to in the future."

Paul J. Foster, CEO of the GEF

Prominent Speakers Take Stage

The Commonwealth Esports Forum will be hosted by world-renowned thought leaders and media personalities, LJ Rich, and Prof. Andy Miah, both of whom are active experts in the esports community.

“I’ve been lucky enough to interact with the Global Esports Federation through my work with the United Nations AI for Good Summit, and it’s an honour to be invited to host the Commonwealth Esports Forum,” expressed LJ Rich.

"It's an absolute pleasure to be hosting the Commonwealth Esports Forum this year. The world of esports has come far since the Commonwealth Games were last in the UK and it really feels like history is being made around us. I feel privileged to be a part of this wonderful movement to share the good that we know esports is bringing, especially to the youth of the world,” shared Prof. Andy Miah.

GEF President Chris Chan, CGF President Dame Louise Martin DBE and UK Minister for International Trade, Ranil Jayawardena will kickstart proceedings of the day alongside other leaders. They will be followed by seven panels over the course of the day.

Panel 1:

Chief Executive Officers from the CGF and GEF – Katie Sadleir and Paul J. Foster – will be joined by Philipp Müller-Wirth, Chief of the Sports Section at UNESCO and other speakers from across the world to discuss Esports Role in a #worldconnected.

Panel 2:

Esports: Focus on Great Britain & Commonwealth features GEF Vice President and CEO of British Esports Federation Chester King, alongside Neil Rami, Chief Executive Officer of the West Midlands Growth Company, and Duane Mutu, Founding Board Member of New Zealand Esports, where they will share views about esports in the context of policy-making, program initiatives, and good governance in the Commonwealth.

Panel 3:

Four-time Olympian and GEF’s Co-Chair of the Istanbul 2022 Global Esports Games Coordination Commission Angela Ruggiero, will be joined by GEF Vice President and President of Saudi Esports Federation, HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud and Michael Chng, CEO of Refract Technologies. This panel will offer fresh insights on the expanding technological capabilities and their impact on fans in the panel titled Business, Technology & Education.

Panel 4:

GEF Vice President and Chair of Canada Esports Charmaine Crooks and GEF’s Head of Esports Operations Tammy Tang will be among the leading voices at the World Forum on Equality & Inclusion, discussing the rise and challenges for women in gaming, esports, and the digital space.

Panel 5:

The fifth panel will look at the intersection of Esports, Sport, Music and Entertainment. The panel will feature three-time World Champion Motorcross Champion, Stefy Bau and Esports Director for the Americas at Populous, Senior Principal Brian Mirakian, among others.

Panel 6:

Youth Connected will bring together two Forbes 30 under 30 recipients, Singapore’s Ming Wei Ng, Founder of Boom Digital Media, and Kenya’s QueenArrow, both GEF Commission members. They will be joined by Craig Chettle, Chief Executive Officer, Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, and Garvey Candella, Director of Student & Education Programs from Twitch to discuss the future of work and youth leadership.

Panel 7:

The final panel of the day will look at The Future, with Managing Director & Co-Founder of Esports Insider Sam Cooke, GEF’s Chair of Health and Wellness Commission, Dr. Melita N. Moore, and Co-Founder at Yunus Sports Hub, Yoan Noguier, as we look ahead at the industry’s ambitions for an even brighter #worldconnected.

Join us at the Commonwealth Esports Forum on Friday, August 5, 2022, at the ICC, Birmingham. Limited tickets are available now on commonwealthesports.gg/forum.

The Forum will be followed by the blockbuster Commonwealth Esports Championships, which be held over the following two days on August 6 and 7, at the ICC, Birmingham. Tickets are available now on commonwealthesports.gg/ticket.

*Note: All information is correct at press time, subject to schedule adjustments. Kindly refer to commonwealthesports.gg/forum for the latest updates.