Konami Digital Entertainment announces that Shoma Mori (SHORA) has been named winner of the baseball competition using WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS in the Olympic Esports Series 2023.
In the finals, 10 finalists battled for glory at the Suntec Centre after coming through the qualifying round which took place in March, April and May this year. Shoma Mori (SHORA) from Japan finished first ahead of Hiroki Horiike (TAIJYU) also from Japan in second and Wang Chia-Ming (CMWANG) from Chinese Taipei in third.
Winner Shoma Mori (SHORA) comment:
“I am happy beyond words. First of all, I want to share this joy to my family who have supported me. I was under a lot of pressure in this tournament to become the second consecutive winner, and I am already nervous about winning the third if there's going to be one, but of course, I will do my best. During the game, I could see many people cheering me on from the audience. The view was especially special when I scored a home run and stoop up.”
IOC Vice-President Ser Miang Ng comment:
“The inaugural Olympic Esports Week here in Singapore has been a historic milestone, a celebration of the best of virtual sport and esports. We have built bridges between the physical and the virtual worlds of sport. We have seen the sports and esports communities meet and share ideas. Together, we have discussed opportunities and challenges. The first Olympic Esports Week was a remarkable celebration of inclusivity and diversity. New friendships have been formed, and old friends have been reunited. We hope these bonds continue to grow. While celebrating these successes, we will build on this new momentum to move forward.”
WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari comment:
“My first congratulations are to Shoma Mori (SHORA) for his tremendous play and for being crowned the WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS winner of the first Olympic Esports Series. Esports continue to grow across the globe. The IOC have put on a world-class event here in Singapore and their commitment to developing virtual sports within the Olympic Movement has been demonstrated here this week. KONAMI have been the perfect partner and they have always had the development of our sport at the forefront of their work. It is thanks to this that eBASEBALL™ has been so well received by both the Olympic Movement and the gaming & esports community, and we are looking to keep thriving in this space with more events coming soon."
Konami Digital Entertainment Representative Director, President Hideki Hayakawa Comment:
“Congratulations to Shoma Mori (SHORA). I would like to express my sincere gratitude to IOC President Bach and WBSC President Fraccari for providing us with this opportunity, and to all the players who participated from around the world, as well as everyone who watched and cheered on the competition. WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS was created as a competitive title to expand the baseball fan base globally, and I’m very delighted that the first competition was a success. Utilizing the knowledge we gained from the Olympic Esports Series, we hope to continue to contribute to the promotion of baseball and softball with our games alongside IOC and WBSC.”
You can watch the finals here at the Olympics official YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=781qu2iQ-gc