Tel Aviv will host the inaugural Abraham Accords Esports Peace Games from 26-28 January 2023, the US Embassy in Israel announced on last week.
The event, organized in partnership with Israel’s Foreign Ministry, philanthropist Sylvan Adams, New York-based investment banking firm LionTree and the Israeli Esports Association, will see competitors from Israel, the US, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and “special guests and leading gamers” compete against one another, with a prize of $82,000 to be distributed among the winners.
The event is supported by Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem. Adams, who co-chairs the games’ organizing committee alongside US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides, said Israel will “witness the power of sports to bring people together in friendship in this new Middle East.
“The Abraham Accords are a game changer for our region, with our new diplomatic relations fostering business, educational and scientific exchanges,” Adams wrote in the statement announcing the event. “But for this to endure, to weave the warm peace that we will seek in the region, we must have people-to-people exchanges – sporting, cultural and especially tourism with our neighbors… E-sports introduces a whole new cohort to Israel.”
Former President Donald Trump took special initiative to get the peace accords signed between the Jewish state and Arab neighbours UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco opening up financial and economic relations between the countries.
According to USA Embassy in UAE, since the Accords were signed, people-to-people contact is flourishing and generating activity across all areas – from business deals to cultural exchanges, healthcare partnerships and joint scientific initiatives.
Notable Israeli startups in this space include Novos, Quarterback, and StreamElements.
StreamElements competes with Twitch offering tools for live video content creators and helps them manage their audience and track performance for their stream in order to generate revenue.
Another Israeli startup ShapeShift Gaming making the mark transforms viewership into an interactive experience and allows gamers to track the moments of each game.