Team from Australia awarded inaugural title in International Esports Tournament on Maui

The team from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia is the winner of the inaugural Academic Sports Tournament held last week at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College.

Team members Nicolas Gonzales, Callum Brown, Huda Kamarurrashid, Lawrence Lee, Alex Kent, Oskar Page, Gian Cornale. Xander Gonzaga, Michael Krasnoff, Isaac Tang and Kelly Thai were awarded the Kilakila Trophy for gaining the most points in the tournament.

“UNSW is wholeheartedly thankful to UH Maui College for the warm welcome and generous hospitality at the first Academic Esports World Tournament,” said Claire Annesley, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture of University of New South Wales, who accompanied the team from Australia.

“Our 11 students from the UNSW Esports team travelled from Sydney, Australia, excited and grateful for this opportunity,” she said. “We returned as champions, with a beautiful trophy, heads full of happy memories, and dozens of new friends from six countries across four continents. As Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture at UNSW it has been a joy to see the students in their element. I am not a gamer, but I loved seeing the skills of gaming in action: strategic thinking, problem solving, collaboration, communication, leadership, agility, tenacity.”

The team from Horschule Mittweida in Saxony, Germany came in second and received the Aloha Spirit Award. Team members Karl Kraut, Henry Goricke, Victor John, Max Hildebrant, Johanna Kleinwecher, Antonia Notzel, Luca Heigl, Alexander Schafer, Kimmy Schneider and Maximillan Schulze were accompanied by their Coach Robin Pohl.

A total of six teams from around the world competed in the first-ever, week-long international Academic Esports Tournament. Gamers from Korea, United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, Germany, Austria and UH Maui College’s own esports team faced off in popular titles like Valorant, League of Legends and Rocket League.

The academic approach made the tournament unique. Students had to excel in three academic challenges: a programming and problem-solving competition that tests technical skills; a business innovation challenge that develops entrepreneurial thinking; and an academic debate forum addressing global gaming culture and sustainability. It’s the first time ever that a tournament has combined esports games with academics and transferable skills to highlight the best of what esports in education can achieve globally.

Esports are a common language that brings people together and has a strong part to play in both education and recreation.

“We were honored to host the first international Esports tournament of its kind here on Maui,” said UH Maui College Chancellor Lui Hokoana. “And we were very happy to host all the teams who came from around the world and we congratulate all of them on their fine play. We look forward to welcoming them all back again.”