Virtual swords drawn as eSports worlds in China defy virus

A file photo taken on Nov 10, 2019 shows teams competing in the ‘League of Legends’ videogame world championship final at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris. eSports has bucked a grim trend to stage a world championship in Shanghai, even as numerous international sports tournaments across the globe are wiped out by the Covid-19 coronavirus. — AFP

SHANGHAI: eSports has bucked a grim trend to stage a world championship in Shanghai, even as numerous international sports tournaments across the globe are wiped out by the coronavirus.

And while events that are taking place often do so behind closed doors, the Oct 31 finals of the League Of Legends worlds will be in front of more than 6,300 spectators.