People watch e-sports game in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province on May 31, 2022. Photo: VCG

Official authorized e-sports merchandise for the 19th Asian Games, to be held in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, in September 2023, has exploded in popularity among Chinese consumers, especially among e-sports lovers.

Multiple items including bookmarks, notebooks and stationary packs for mobile games League of Legends, one of eight new-added medal events at the upcoming the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, were sold out in minutes during the first exclusive live-streaming sales of e-sports related merchandise, which was held by the official online store of Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 on Tuesday.

The livestreaming operator posted signs to appeal for people to "buy in moderation" as consumers rushed to snap up stock, while vendors vowed to re-stock sold-out goods as soon as possible. 

Some netizens on social media Sina Weibo said the current hot sales of Asian Games related goods reminded them of the mania linked to panda-shape mascots Bing Dwen Dwen in early 2022.  

During the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, the sales of mascots Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon went viral, as hundreds of people lined up for four to five hours in the cold to purchase the souvenir. 

Now the supply and demand of Bing Dwen Dwen has returned normal one year after the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games concluded, which was used by a netizen named "Xing Kong Yu" as an example noting that the supply will be recovered and everyone can get what they want. 

E-sports in the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 covers six PC games including League of Legends, Hearthstone, Dota, Three Kingdoms 2, Street Fighter 5, and FIFA Online 4, and two mobile games of Arena of Valor Asian Games Version and Peace Elite Asian Games Version, the official website of Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 showed. 

E-sports was featured as a demonstration sport item at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang. Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 will be the first large international sports event that includes e-sports as official medal sport event, a move that has proven to be popular among younger audiences.  

Global Times