A one-man team of Javon Charles, who is known popularly as the 'Cityslicker97' will represent T&T at the International Esports Federation's 14th World Esports Championships in Bali, Indonesia. The event started yesterday and will run until December 9.
The man in red, white and black has been stacked on a group comprising Tunisia, Iraq and Portugal, which represents just four out of some 100 countries that will be taking part.
From these countries, more than 600 athletes will be playing across seven titles with Counter Strike Global Operative also having an all-female tournament.
Being accompanied by Kwesi Charles as manager, both men have been key figures in the country's thrust into esports.
Known in the local FIFA community as 'Slick' Javon is also part of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) national esports team, while Kwesi is the president of the Electronic Sports Federation of T&T.
Kwesi said: "Our participation in this event can only be described as historic. Esports is still in its embryonic stages locally and can be described as droplets of grassroots. Having the ability to participate in an event of this magnitude will create a wider platform and accessibility for those interested in playing games at this level, in addition to shaping the general culture and perception of video games.
Before Friday's start of the competition, word coming out of the training camp is that the local athlete was well prepared. Efootball is Konami’s rival to the majority popular FIFA game. It is considered a huge revenue earner, reaping in more than USD1B in 2020, which now enables opportunities for full-time professional gamers.
Javon said: "I have been playing FIFA for years, however, this is my first exposure to a widescale international circuit. This will not only further increase my drive but as a senior player be able to share my experience with the younger players.
"I have always wanted to put us on the map through sports and this adds to my personal dream. Also, these milestones help us in creating a pipeline of esports athletes and eventually over time, it will become more mainstream."
The Esports Championships will be the second major outing for the T&T team, following the Commonwealth Esports Championships earlier this year.
According to Kwesi, his vision for esports is to develop the industry from a player perspective, which is, to build an ecosystem that adds critical value to its main driver.