South African players gearing up for inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2025

Esports players in South Africa are gearing up for the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2025, hoping to showcase their talents and skills on the global stage.

Saudi Arabia will host the Olympic Esports Games in 2025, which was endorsed by the International Olympic Committee executive board unanimously.

"Olympics is one of the biggest incentives across all sport codes. People attach their life to this event, being the Olympics. And when it comes down to their commitments, it also attaches a little bit more of authority or a bit more recognition directly towards the players," said Nick Holden, co-founder of ACGL E-sports Organization.

Zaid April, a member of the South African FIFA esports team for Goliath Gaming, said that the inaugural Games will help dispel any doubts about the legitimacy of esports as a real sport.

"I think esports has been overlooked as not an actual sport. Some would say it's not an actual sport, but I consider it a sport because of all the hard work we have to put in, the mental work as well, because there's lots of good players as well so you have to be a step ahead of them," he said.

Africa's esports scene surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. While it may still be a small player on the global stage, its potential is undeniable.

"There's lots of good players that don't get a chance to make it overseas. And I'm fortunate enough to have the chance to play overseas. Now with the Olympics coming up, it gives us much more opportunity I would say, and helps us basically look forward to something or work out towards something and be able to compete," said April.

The digital Olympics represents not only a victory for players but could also serve as a catalyst for job creation and the emergence of new businesses.

"When you're an esports player, you want to be on the big stage. You want to become the professional. But I think it's the tangent opportunities that are also created from all of this. So, whether that's content creation, writing, if it's you going to be able to learn how to do some commentary or run your own business or build your own e-sports team," said Holden.

South African players gearing up for inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2025

Year-end box office revenues in China are strong, with sales and pre-sales for screenings between Nov 28 and Dec 31 exceeding 4 billion yuan (about 570 million U.S. dollars) by 22:45 on Thursday, according to online platform data.

The strong performance in the year-end season has been driven by high-quality moviemaking and a broad selection of movies, with more than 50 films scheduled for release during the period, covering suspense, drama, action and science fiction.

Among domestic productions, war drama "Gezhi Town", which tells the little-known story of civilians in a remote mountain town in central China defending their home against Japanese aggression back in the late 1930s, has raked in over 330 million yuan (about 46.87 million U.S. dollars) at the box office, including previews and pre-sales.

Several other domestic titles, including suspense films "The Fire Raven" and "Escape from the Outland" as well as the fantasy time-travel adaptation "Back to the Past," are set to be released on Dec 31, offering audiences many different options for New Year's Eve.

On the imported film front, "Avatar: Fire and Ash," the third installment of the franchise which features new adventures and upgraded 3D visuals, will hit Chinese theaters on Dec 19.

Another import, "Zootopia 2," has already grossed over 3.6 billion yuan (about 511 million U.S. dollars) in China, surpassing its North American earnings and making China the film's top-grossing market worldwide.

China's year-end box office revenues surpass 4 billion yuan