A female esports player from Geltek Cyber Team took part in a business session at FWD. Woman Summit 2026

The esports team Geltek Cyber Team appears to be aiming not only for victories in MLBB, but also for active involvement in social initiatives. As part of the FWD. Woman Summit 2026 conference, the team’s representative, Irina “Kioway” Koroleva, took part in the business session “New Rules of the Game: Women Changing Sport,” which focused on the development of women’s sports, building female athletes’ personal brands, and new opportunities for women in the industry.

The other participants in the discussion were: Victoria Alemanova, Marketing Director at Liga Stavok; Elena Vesnina, Olympic champion and winner of three Grand Slam tournaments; Polina Knoroz, six-time Russian pole vault champion; Alexandra Savicheva, world champion in kudo and kickboxing and a professional PFL fighter; and Anna Sidorova, Honored Master of Sport of Russia in curling. The session was moderated by Superbanka founder Maria Komandnaya.

FWD. Woman Summit is a professional platform for top managers, female entrepreneurs, women leaders, HR directors, market experts, and women featured in Forbes Woman. In 2026, one of the summit’s central themes was strengthening the role of women in the economy, business, and the labor market.

From Irina’s speech:

“For a long time, esports was perceived as a predominantly male sphere, and women still have to deal with skepticism here. This is largely connected to familiar social stereotypes that are formed from childhood. Ultimately, the best way to change attitudes is to demonstrate results. In Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, we were able to prove our level, competing not only against women’s rosters but also holding our own against men’s tier-2 teams. Our sporting results brought us more attention. The beauty brand ‘Geltek’ noticed us, and in 2026 we managed to take third place at the World Championship in Paris.

Women’s esports in Russia is still at the formative stage, whereas in Asia—especially in Mobile Legends—it has already become a noticeable part of the industry. We are gradually building an audience, developing our social media presence, creating content, and showing through our performances that women can be fully professional players. I would like to see similar progress in other disciplines, where women’s teams still find it significantly harder to receive attention and recognition.

At the same time, esports gives girls far more opportunities than simply participating in tournaments. It combines sport, content creation, working with an audience, and the opportunity to build a professional career in a field they genuinely enjoy. Women’s esports is still very young, so right now we are essentially shaping this environment—and every international result helps make it more visible and open to future generations of players.”