India-based Skillhub Online Games Federation (SOGF) announced this week that it has been granted membership to both the International Esports Federation (IESF) and Global Esports Federation (GEF), replacing the Electronic Sports Federation of India (ESFI).
With these new memberships, the organization will be authorized to organize events approved and sanctioned by these federations. In addition, the organization announced the Global Esports Tour (GET) with GEF and World Esports Championship with IESF for India, and that SOGF Founder and International President of the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA) Nandan Kumar Jha, has been appointed to the role of senior advisor to GEF.
Details on GET and World Esports Federation events will be announced at a later date.
It should be noted that while SOGF will now be in charge of IESF- and GEF-sanctioned competitions in India, the Electronic Sports Federation of India still exists, is operational, and will continue to organize and operate esports events. A spokesperson for the organization told The Esports Advocate on Tuesday that it will continue to be in charge of Asian Games & Olympic Games in South Asia.
SOGF is no stranger to organizing esports competitions in India; in February 2024, it launched India’s first “Esports Olympiad,” and hosted the Esports National Championship 2025 this year.
In case you are not familiar with SOGF, it describes itself as a “not-for-profit” that is “aligned with the progressive guidelines of the IT Laws 2023” and draws inspiration “from the ethos of the Olympic and Paralympic movement, fostering a culture of inclusivity, excellence, and fair play.”
Of course, the International Olympic Committee, which the organization draws inspiration from, overlooked its own charter on human rights to award the Saudi Arabian government a 12 year contract to operate the Olympic Esports Games in July 2024. The Esports Olympic Games will be facilitated by the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC) and the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF), which is funded by the Saudi Arabian government, was named a founding partner.
In fact, the GEF and IESF are closely aligned with the Saudi Arabian esports ecosystem; Saudi Esports Federation Founder HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud serves as the vice president of the GEF and as the president of the IESF.