Faker can escape mandatory army service if he wins a gold medal

The upcoming 2022 Asian Games marks a revolutionary moment for competitive gaming, featuring esports as official medal events for the first time. This development carries particularly profound implications for elite Korean competitors including legendary League of Legends player Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, who stand to benefit from both competitive recognition and significant career advantages.

Through strategic collaboration between the Asian Electronic Sports Federation and Olympic Council of Asia, eight competitive gaming titles will award official medals in an Olympics-sanctioned international event. This represents a major step forward in competitive gaming’s journey toward mainstream sports recognition.

The comprehensive lineup of medal-awarding esports encompasses both globally popular titles and regionally significant games, demonstrating the diverse competitive landscape across Asia:

• Street Fighter V
• Dota 2
• League of Legends
• FIFA
• Hearthstone
• PUBG Mobile
• Arena of Valor
• Dream Three Kingdoms 2

Beyond the primary competitive events, two demonstration categories—Robot Masters and VR Sports—will showcase emerging gaming technologies. While these demonstration events won’t contribute to official medal tallies, they highlight the evolving nature of competitive digital sports. Arena of Valor and PUBG Mobile will receive specially adapted versions optimized for the Asian Games competitive structure, ensuring balanced and fair competition across diverse gaming platforms.

The confirmation of esports as medal events, while initially announced in 2020, now carries substantial weight with the inclusion of major competitive titles like Dota 2, League of Legends, and Street Fighter V. This official recognition by a major international sports governing body represents a pivotal validation moment for the entire esports ecosystem.

As one of the world’s largest multi-sport competitions, second only to the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup in scale, the Asian Games’ embrace of competitive gaming sends a powerful signal about esports’ legitimacy. The Olympic Council of Asia’s endorsement provides crucial institutional support that contrasts with previous hesitancy from the International Olympic Committee, potentially accelerating esports’ path toward broader Olympic inclusion.

2022 Asian Games Esports: Military Service Exemptions and Career Impact for Korean Players

For Korean competitors like Faker, the Asian Games carries implications extending far beyond competitive glory. Gold medal achievement in these officially recognized esports events provides a pathway to exemption from South Korea’s mandatory military service requirement—a policy that has historically disrupted careers across entertainment and sports industries.

South Korea maintains compulsory military service for all able-bodied men aged 18-28, typically requiring approximately two years of active duty. This service obligation creates substantial career disruption during what are often peak performance and earning years for esports professionals.

The exemption system, while sometimes controversial for perceived preferential treatment of celebrities and athletes, has precedent in traditional sports. Baseball star Hyun-Jin Ryu’s successful transition from Korea’s KBO League to MLB following his 2008 Olympic gold medal demonstrates how military service exemptions can enable international career opportunities that might otherwise prove impossible.

If LoL is a medal event in 2022, the South Korean team would avoid mandatory military service if they won gold

Faker right now https://t.co/PyvDhTTtCW pic.twitter.com/hJ8kNSyufA

— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) December 17, 2020

Within the League of Legends competitive scene, no professional player has successfully resumed their esports career following military service completion. This underscores the critical nature of the exemption opportunity for players like Faker, whose skills might otherwise face inevitable decline during the mandatory service period.

While challenging, post-service comebacks remain possible as demonstrated by Dota 2 professional Park “March” Tae-won, who achieved his most successful competitive season in 2019 after returning from 2016-2018 military service. However, such successful returns represent exceptions rather than the norm in the rapidly evolving esports landscape where meta-strategies and gameplay mechanics shift dramatically within short timeframes.

The strategic advantage for Korean competitors extends beyond individual career preservation. Successful performances at the Asian Games level could significantly influence how military service policies adapt to accommodate the unique career trajectories of digital sports professionals, potentially establishing new precedents for future generations of esports athletes. For comprehensive strategies on competitive gameplay, see our Complete Guide to maximizing performance in high-stakes environments.

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