T1 Star Faker's Participation at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games
T1 star mid laner Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok has been called up to represent South Korea at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. But will his recent injury troubles see him miss the tournament?
Esports at the Asian Games
For the first time in the history of the Asian Games, esports tournaments will be part of the official program as medal events, which considerably raises the stakes. Seven games will be played as official esports competitions, including League of Legends, Dota 2, and Street Fighter V.
As countries from across Asia prepare to send their best players to Hangzhou, excitement is building in the League of Legends scene. The tournament will whet the appetite of fans before Worlds 2023 kicks off.
Faker's Injury Concerns
Faker has been included in South Korea’s six-man lineup for the Asian Games, but many fans have been wondering whether he will play in Hangzhou because of his recent wrist problems.
T1 slumped down the LCK table in the Summer Split as Faker missed four weeks of action. His return sparked an upturn in fortunes, with the team finishing the playoffs in second place to automatically qualify for Worlds.
This will be Faker’s first world championship in South Korea after missing the 2014 and 2018 events. As he chases his fourth Worlds trophy, will he be available to represent his country?
Is Faker playing at the 2022 Asian Games?
Faker remains part of South Korea’s national team for the Hangzhou Games and has even taken part in a preparation match. After being left out of the team for September 11’s match against Vietnam, he took to the Rift a day later as South Korea beat Taiwan 2-0.
Those first two matches were a strong indicator that Faker will find himself splitting playing time with Jeong ‘Chovy’ Ji-hoon, the other mid laner called up by national coach Kim ‘kkOma’ Jeong-gyun for the event. The Gen.G star was named the LCK Summer 2023 Finals MVP.
Faker is one of three T1 players who have been called up for the Asian Games, alongside top laner Choi ‘Zeus’ Woo-je, and support Ryu ‘Keria’ Min-seok.
After the LCK Summer lower bracket final, Faker noted that he wants to give a good account of himself in Hangzhou. He was also part of South Korea’s team that finished second to China at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, where esports was a demonstration sport.
“When I first went to the Asian Games, I had a sense of duty,” he is quoted by Inven Global as saying. “This time, I’ll make sure that I show the best performance. We lost to China at MSI, so I’ll prepare more thoroughly.”
The 2022 Asian Games’ League of Legends tournament is scheduled to run between September 25 and 29. The tournament will take place two weeks before the start of Worlds 2023, though T1 and Gen.G have earned direct entry into the Swiss Stage, which will begin only on October 19.