Dubai-based esports organisation Galaxy Racer has announced it will sponsor the Canadian National Cricket Team at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier.
The sponsorship will see Galaxy Racer’s logo appear on the team’s official competition jersey as well as warm-up kits throughout the qualifier.
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The competition, which is set to take place on February 18th, is one of two global qualifiers that form the final stages of the qualification process for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.
Paul Roy, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Racer, commented: “We are excited to partner with Cricket Canada, as we continue our convergence with esports, gaming and traditional sports, which is part of our bigger initiative where we are partnering with major sports properties globally and we are excited to introduce a new set of young audience to the world of cricket.
“We believe that the convergence of traditional sports with the esports and gaming audience is imperative and we will be assisting Cricket Canada to accelerate the cross-pollination with the younger generation. All the best to Cricket Canada in the upcoming ICC World Cup. As the esports community would say, GLHF (Good Luck, Have Fun)!”
Galaxy Racer also recently bolstered its presence within the Southeast Asian market through a projected investment of around $10m (£7.38m) into the Malaysian esports ecosystem.
This isn’t the first time that esports has crossed over into traditional sports. Last year, Envy Gaming became a sponsor of World Chase Tag team GNF. Moreover, EVOS Esports recently announced a basketball team called EVOS Thunder Bogor.
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Rashpal Bajwa, President of Cricket Canada, stated: “Our organisation welcomes the partnership with Galaxy Racer. Esports and gaming is a fast-growing industry in the North American market and particularly in Canada. Our players are avid gamers and compete almost daily in their free time on gaming consoles and platforms.
“This partnership is a natural fit for cricket and Cricket Canada. Cricket Canada hopes this engagement will be the seed for additional collaboration between esports and live sports in cricket.”
Esports Insider says: The expansion of Galaxy Racer shows no signs of slowing down as the organisation ventures into new markets. This rather unusual sponsorship indicates the organisation’s ambition to also potentially expand into the North American region. Since the deal is a part of the Galaxy Racer’s bigger initiative with major sports properties, it will be interesting to see if the organisation reveals other traditional sports-focused deals.
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