25 Years of the Computer Sports Federation of Russia!

On March 24, 2025, the Computer Sports Federation of Russia will celebrate its 25th anniversary! For a quarter of a century, the federation has been dedicated to the development and popularization of computer sports, actively working in 89 subjects of the Russian Federation.

In 2001, Russia became the first country in the world to recognize esports as an official sport. Since then, esports has been actively supported at the government level.

Over the past 25 years, the federation has held more than 10,000 national and international tournaments, uniting over 2,500,000 esports athletes from around the world. In 2024 alone, the Computer Sports Federation of Russia organized 7 tournaments per day in an online format!

Over the years, Russian esports athletes have repeatedly made a strong impression on the international stage. From world and European championships, Russian esports athletes have brought home medals of all kinds. Even today, despite numerous sanctions and restrictions, Russian players continue to win in their team rosters at the largest international professional tournaments and are recognized as the best players of the year in their respective programs.

In 2024, by the order of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, an international esports competition took place in Vladivostok – the Far Eastern Championship “Cyber-East.”

A true highlight of the domestic esports scene is the grand LAN finals. Currently, the most fans gather at the final stages of the competitions of the Computer Sports Federation of Russia, among which are:

– Russian Championship;

– Russian Cup;

– Open Esports Games;

– BRICS Championship;

– Open Esports Student Games;

– All-Russian Esports Student League;

– National Student League of Esports;

– School League;

– Russian Interactive Football Cup;

– Russian Interactive Football Championship.

Participants in the largest tournaments under the auspices of the Computer Sports Federation of Russia compete not only for titles but also for a significant prize fund. Over 25 years, the federation has paid out more than 300,000,000 rubles to competition winners.

The scale of national and international competitions is increasing every year. In October 2024, the LAN final took place for the first time at the “Bolshoy” Sports Palace – one of the main venues of the 2014 Olympic Games.

In addition to the growth in the number of athletes and countries participating in the Computer Sports Federation of Russia’s tournaments, recent years have notably seen improvements in esports infrastructure and venues for hosting competitions. Today, more than 3,000 computer clubs operate in 89 regions, with their numbers growing annually by 15-20%.

In 2024, a significant event occurred – the federation introduced its mascot – a Pallas's cat named Smerch, presented on October 17 at the XII International Sports Forum “Russia – a Sports Power” in Ufa. Since then, Smerch has become an integral part of all events organized by the Computer Sports Federation of Russia. Smerch motivates athletes to victory and provides fans with unforgettable experiences during the finals. As part of its 25th anniversary, the federation has adopted Pallas's cats from the Moscow and St. Petersburg zoos.

Over its 25-year history, the Computer Sports Federation of Russia has actively strengthened its role in the social agenda. Every year, the federation actively participates in state forums: the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Eastern Economic Forum, the “Russia – a Sports Power” forum, the All-Russian Festival of Student Sports ASSK.FEST, the World Festival of Youth, the International Exhibition-Forum Russia, and others. The Computer Sports Federation of Russia maintains connections with charitable foundations. During the LAN final of the Russian Cup in computer sports, the federation and the charitable program DobroFON implemented the project “From Heart to Heart.” Each year, a growing number of scientific articles, educational and methodological manuals on computer sports are published, and various research studies are conducted with esports athletes. Federation representatives regularly conduct educational programs at all-Russian children’s centers “Artek,” “Smena,” and “Orlyonok.”

The Computer Sports Federation of Russia sincerely thanks all athletes and fans who care about esports. Today, the federation faces new global goals, the main one being to continue to make esports in Russia even stronger!