Gamers Without Borders raises $10m for humanitarian aid

RIYADH: Gamers Without Borders, the world’s largest charitable esports event, has concluded this year’s edition by raising a total of $10 million for its humanitarian aid partners.

The money will go to Direct Relief, International Medical Corps, UNICEF, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, the UN’s World Food Programme and the UNHCR. The donations were made by teams, players and gamers worldwide.

The funds will be used for urgent humanitarian projects and add to the work achieved through the $30 million in donations from the GWB’s three previous editions.

Organized and held virtually by the Saudi Esports Federation, this year’s event was titled “Gamers Without Borders: Gaming For Good.”

From April 10, six weeks of action saw the GWB host five tournaments across four major gaming titles: StarCraft II, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), Rocket League and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. One particularly special moment saw NAVI Javelins triumph at the first all-women CS:GO tournament at GWB to claim a $1 million prize for charity.

Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation, said: “‘Gamers Without Borders: Gaming For Good’ has exceeded our biggest hopes and proven once again how powerful gaming and esports can be as a force for good. The global gaming community has come together in their droves to provide resources that can make a sizeable change in the lives of people less fortunate than us.

“Everyone at the Saudi Esports Federation is exceptionally proud of Gamers Without Borders and what it has helped achieve in the world. None of this, however, is possible without the help of our humanitarian aid partners and the support of gamers from every corner of the planet.