Balkhe and Davari are winners of the CCAA Gaming Challenge
Philip Balkhe, a Business Management student at Humber College, and Arash Davari, a Business Administration student at Langara College, are the winners of the FIFA20 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Gaming Challenge.
The #CCAAGamingChallenge was open to any student registered at a CCAA Member Institution and featured 40 players from 12 different schools across two platforms. With COVID19 forcing most students to study remotely, these contests allowed students to play from home, including two international students who participated from their home countries of Mexico (Holland College) and India (Okanagan College).
While most players were seasoned FIFA players, skill levels varied from new to online play to professional Esports competitors. Phil Balkhe, who won the XBOX competition, is a professional FIFA player for Toronto FC and a Red Bull Esports Athlete. Balkhe was a competitive soccer player as well, but his focus now lies with the online version of the sport.
"I was happy to be a part of this great competition," said Balkhe. "Hopefully, this (Esports) takes off because there are a lot of talented FIFA Players in Canada. It was an honour to represent Humber College and I look forward to the next CCAA event."
In coordination with Uniting Gamers, the CCAA created this new virtual contest to engage with students in the absence of traditional sports. Over the course of a month, online matches were contested twice a week, culminating with the Finals on November 17 (XBOX) and 19 (PS4).
"Esports and gaming are rapidly evolving forms of competition and popular activities for the current generation of collegiate students," said Joel Mrak, CCAA VP Marketing. "These contests were a unique way to connect with our existing demographics while also introducing the CCAA to a potentially new segment of students."
Additionally, the contests allowed some of the CCAA's dedicated partners to be involved by providing prizing for the competitors.
"Sponsors have been essential to the success of CCAA events and these contests were an opportunity for some of the Association's long-standing partners to be engaged when there were no championships to support", added Mrak. "We thank Jostens, the Kahunaverse Sports Group and 4imprint for supporting this new contest."
Jostens Canada, the Official Award Rings of the CCAA, designed custom rings as the top prize for Balkhe and Davari. The Kahunaverse Sports Group, the CCAA's Official Retailer, supplied contest branded t-shirts for every participant and 4imprint Canada, the CCAA's MIP and Championship Player of the Game Partner, provided CCAA branded backpacks for the top eight competitors on each platform.
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Brandon Stone
CCAA Manager, Marketing & Sponsorship
brandon@ccaa.ca
