1) Why was BIG Academy selected to represent the German CS scene at the World Championship?
We looked at all teams in Germany that could represent our country internationally. We then held discussions with various organizations, though the selection was very limited since, naturally, at a tournament with national teams, all players must be German citizens.
BIG Academy met all the requirements for a national team and also plays a leading role in German CS, as was recently evident from their direct qualification for the final of the German championship.
2) How important is it to take part in events like this outside of the usual tournament and org day-to-day?
I think it's always an honor to be able to represent your country, and for a young and ambitious team like BIG Academy, an event like this is also another development opportunity to gain LAN experience.
3) How important is it for German esports to be represented on stages like this?
I think for esports in general, it's absolutely important that we continue to get more European and world championships at a professional level. We're also still at the beginning in Germany, but I'm very happy that such a great team is one of our first steps and we can build on this by participating in tournaments like this more often and with more teams.
4) What expectations did you have when sending the team?
The general expectation was that we have a team that represents us in Bali professionally and with a lot of passion. The result didn't matter at first. But with the win against Bulgaria and qualification for the main tournament, I think all expectations were exceeded. Now we also want the title, and I hope the team receives a lot of support from Germany and feels it even so far away in Bali.
5) How was the competition assessed beforehand?
I think the teams from Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Mongolia are absolutely strong opponents. With the win against Bulgaria, we beat one of the favorites and showed that we also have chances against Macedonia and Mongolia.
6) How do you currently see the performance and the chances?
The performance is outstanding. With the win against Bulgaria, the boys beat an absolute favorite, and now anything is possible.
7) What exactly is the ESBD? Can you briefly introduce it?
ESBD – eSport-Bund Deutschland e.V. – represents organized esports and its athletes nationwide in Germany. It was founded on November 26, 2017 at the former DFB Villa in Frankfurt (Main) by 22 teams, clubs, organizers, and esports organizations.
As a specialist sports federation, ESBD is the central point of contact for politics and administration as well as sports federations regarding the sporting structure of esports and the concerns of athletes in this field. For its member organizations from elite and grassroots esports, ESBD provides a platform where common challenges are addressed through dialogue and overarching topics can be worked on.
8) What are your responsibilities at the ESBD?
At ESBD, I handle matters concerning professional organizations and place a strong focus on talent development and cooperation between politics and esports.