PanAm esports federations unite under Memorandum of Understanding
A historic memorandum of understanding signed by 23 PanAm countries yesterday to advance esports in the intercontinental region. Announced by Esport Canada, one of the countries that signed the memorandum, the PanAm Esports Coalition aims to bring forward an environment of cooperation, "transparency, accountability, and respect" within the region.
Alongside Canada, the USA, Brazil, Argentina, The Bahamas, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela all signed onto the agreement.
The 23 signing countries are looking to strengthen four key areas:
Official Recognition: The MoU seeks the formal recognition of all Parties within their respective countries, setting the stage for the full membership of National Federations in international governing bodies, such as the Global Esports Federation (GEF) and the International Esports Federation (IESF).
Education & Game-Based Learning (GBL): With a vision of holistic student growth, this initiative aims to implement esports and GBL educational programs that can positively impact social and economic development.
Standards of Excellence: The Parties are committed to supporting the development of programs that seek to professionalize talent and industry standards, establishing regionally agreed-upon benchmarks and certifications.
Regional Qualification: To sustainably develop and maintain the region's status globally, the PEC will organize recurring regional competitions, which may serve as regional qualifiers for international federations.
To make things easier, the PEC has delegated power to the Executive Committee of Representatives, elected by the PanAm countries during the first stages of the creation of this memorandum last Summer. Representing North America is Melissa Burns, founder and CEO of Esport Canada. Gregory Moore from Jamaica, Felipe Montoya from Costa Rica, and Emgelbert Farfán from Venezuela represent the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, respectively.
With this agreement, the PanAm nations hope to shed more light on esports, implementing them into society through education, all while achieving more recognition from industry peers and other international organizations. This could be a turning point in IESF's favor, as, up until now, the federation has been criticized for its lack of transparency, organization, and general reliability.
