Two and a half years ago, together with Deutsche Telekom and SK Gaming, we launched the initiative to give women and non-binary talent opportunities and the recognition they deserve. Looking back at that point in time, we remember a landscape with few professional teams and even fewer high-profile tournaments.
But the #EqualeSports initiative has been instrumental in achieving three main goals: a continuous increase in the level of play of talent, creating a safe environment for players and building a European ecosystem in collaboration with Riot Games.
Particularly encouraging: 2 1/2 years ago, SK Gaming was the first LEC team to set up a team for women and non-binary talents. Today, 5 LEC teams (and counting) already have such teams. Of our 18 sponsored LoL talents, 11 are currently playing in these five teams, with some of them even earning their entire living from it – a development that seemed unimaginable two and a half years ago.
Even though these are impressive figures, we still have a long way to go. In order to promote an inclusive community and establish mixed teams at the highest level in the long term, it is crucial that we find and promote even more inspiring role models.