eSports
Christine Giampaoli Zonca joins Veloce Racing for 2022 Extreme E campaign


Italian-Canarian driver welcomed by London-based squad for renewed bid in the all-electric off-road championship
The future of Veloce Racing’s Extreme E outfit has been revealed today (Thursday, 6 January) as Christine Giampaoli Zonca – or Christine GZ as she is otherwise known – joins one of the most revolutionary motorsport teams in the industry.
A brilliant second-place finish in Senegal behind eventual champions RXR was undoubtedly the highlight of Veloce’s inaugural season in Extreme E, while pacey outings in Greenland, Sardinia and Dorset showed that the London-based squad has the speed to consistently compete at the sharp end.

DECEMBER 18: Jamie Chadwick (GBR)/Lance Woolridge (ZAF), Veloce Racing during the Jurassic X-Prix on December 18, 2021. (Photo by Sam Bloxham / LAT Images)
After an auspicious first year in the series, Veloce and Competition Partner ART Grand Prix are looking ahead to 2022, aiming to build on the promising foundations laid by the partnership last season.
Having made her full-time debut in 2014, Christine GZ boasts an impressive off-road résumé. She has participated in a number of high-profile events in recent years, notching a seventh-place finish at the infamous Baja 1000 and third in the T2 category of the Andalucía Road to Dakar Rally.
Together with Christine and its yet to be announced male driver, Veloce Racing is confident that a combination of ultra-skilled racers and a highly ambitious team behind the scenes will yield eye-catching results in 2022.
Christine GZ, Driver, Veloce Racing said: “I’m so excited to be joining Veloce Racing this year! They did an amazing job last season after a really tough start in Saudi Arabia, the car looked really competitive across 2021.
“I learnt a lot last year and I think that’s important going into Extreme E’s second season. Together with the team, I think we can achieve great things and we’ll definitely be targeting podiums and more!”
Rupert Svendsen-Cook, Team Principal, Veloce Racing added: “Just like Extreme E has learnt and evolved, so have we as a team at Veloce. From a driving as well as a team perspective, the challenges of the series are unique in the world of motorsport – when you consider the very limited mileage achieved throughout a race weekend and ultimately the season, in a totally ‘lift the blindfold and go’ race weekend format with no permitted prior circuit layout knowledge, terrain info or pace notes.
“Naturally this element will become less of a factor in time as we become accustomed to the cars and all teams refine the best way to approach Extreme E’s format – but the ‘reaction to the random’ element as currently implemented is one of the most influential to performance in our analysis. With a very short break between Season 1 and 2, we’ve not backed off to ensure we kick off 2022 on the right foot and Christine GZ stood out as a driver above all others, who with very limited mileage, made very impressive as well as rapid progress in 2021.
“For us, Christine’s talent is certain, and we’re committed to maximising her potential through further development to ensure we capitalise on that for our shared success. We’re delighted to welcome Christine to our very close knit Veloce family and we’re excited for what the future holds for us together.”
eSports
Guild Esports pro-player has $1 million MrBeast win verified

Guild Esports, a global teams organisation and lifestyle brand, has confirmed that Fortnite pro-player, Anas El-Abd (‘Anas’), has had his $1 million MrBeast Fortnite competition win verified by organisers Epic Games and Jimmy ‘MrBeast’ Donaldson – a YouTube personality with the fourth-biggest channel on YouTube and more than 125 million subscribers.
Anas’ victory in the ‘MrBeast’s Extreme Survival Challenge’, which took place on 17 December 2022, has cemented his position as one of the top Fortnite players competing globally at a professional level.
When Anas joined Guild in 2021, he brought with him experience of the European pro scene, having played Fortnite since 2017. Anas has qualified for the game’s flagship Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS) Finals 14 times over the space of four years and 13 seasons, with this latest MrBeast accolade adding to his already impressive track record.
The MrBeast tournament victory from Anas rounded off a highly successful year of competition for Guild Esports and its players in 2022, with notable wins across the RL EMEA Predator League 2022, Game Changers EMEA Series 3, Fortnite Champion Series, EA Sports FIFA 22 eChampions League and the MrBeast Challenge.
In 2023, Guild is one of the leading organisations remaining committed to Fortnite competitions, with previous Fortnite tournament victories including four FNCS titles, Gamers8 – No Build, and the recent MrBeast Extreme Survival Challenge. Guild’s current Fortnite duo Anas and Henrik Mclean (‘Hen’) are also trialling playing together. Hen brings three FNCS trophies to the partnership, while Anas has one of the most consistent and highest average placement positions.
Jasmine Skee, CEO of Guild Esports, commented: “Many congratulations to Anas, who has proven yet again that he is among the world’s best Fortnite players. We are delighted by his success, which underscores the exceptional talent within Guild’s teams. Winning tournaments, reaching ever-larger audiences and gaining new fans, supports our ongoing growth as a leading global esports organisation. We can’t wait to see how Anas and Hen get on this year collaborating further and playing as a duo for Guild.”
Anas El-Abd (‘Anas’), Fortnite player at Guild Esports, commented: “Winning the MrBeast Challenge is one of my best accomplishments since playing Fortnite. Moving forward I will be focusing on tournaments with myself and Hen. We are doing pretty well playing together now, we are both good players and were both looking for a duo, so it makes sense to try it out.”
eSports
The World’s Biggest Esports Stars Train at Kinguin’s Cutting-Edge Esports Performance Center in Warsaw – Summary of 2022

In 2022, 66 bootcamps and 20 special events were held at the Kinguin Esports Performance Center in Warsaw – the state-of-the-art esports training center for players and teams in Europe.
Kinguin EPC is where the best teams in the world train to prepare for tournaments across key esports titles including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Dota 2, FIFA, Rocket League, Fortnite, VALORANT and Rainbow Six: Siege.
2022 in numbers:
- Number of bootcamps: 66
- Number of events: 20
- Longest stays: Misfits Premier – 116 days, X7 – 88 days
- The largest bootcamp: Seven Goats – 25 people
- Guests who visited EPC the most: Anonymo (6 bootcamps), Imperial (5), NAVI Javelins (4)
2022 was a thrilling year at the Kinguin Esports Performance Center being used by leading teams including Tundra Esports players, who in the following months won The Dota 2 International and FaZe Clan – winners of Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2022. The center was also visited by teams such as Imperial, Renegades, Team Falcons, MOUZ, AGO, OG, TYLOO, MIBR, NAVI, SKADE, Acend, Wisła Kraków, Anonymo, Excel, Exeed, TSM and Pasha Gaming Camp.
Paweł Książek, Head of Kinguin Esports Performance Center, said: “The Kinguin Esports Performance Center was created with the best teams in the world in mind and last year showed the importance of the EPC to esports players and teams. It is an honor to host some of the biggest esports teams and legends including the winners of the most prestigious tournaments.”
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Kinguin has been actively helping people affected by the conflict. The Kinguin Esports Performance Center is open to all Ukrainian esports players and their families free of charge. To date, it has hosted almost 30 people, and its doors are still open to Ukrainian people in need of support.
Kinguin EPC hosted 20 industry events in 2022 including SkillFactor, a talent show where young esports players competed against each other in CS:GO, Deluxe Ski Jump 2 tournament powered by Rockstar Energy Drinks, Esports Skills Camp, modern gaming colonies and practical classes in esports for the University of Physical Culture and Tourism in Pruszków.
Other key events include Intel Overclocking Masters, journalistic competitions in spinning processors, as well as broadcasts from Kinguin Legends, the world’s first tournament featuring the biggest stars in the history of the CS:GO scene.
eSports
2023 Northern Cape Online Championships pushed forward to January

Due to IESF having moved the 15th World Esports Championships (WEC) from December to August, Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) will thus be holding its Northern Cape Online Esports Championships on 28 January 2023.
The Northern Cape Online Esports Championships shall offer all Registered Players the opportunity to qualify for selection to the national squad and for the Protea Team.
In order to participate, players must be registered for the 2022/2023 season.
The championship shall be held on 28 January 2023.
Game titles to be played are:
Period/genre | Title | Platform | Age restriction | Players |
Shooter
|
CODM | Mobile | 18 | 4 v 4 |
CS GO | PC | 16 | 5 v 5 | |
PUBGM | Mobile | 18 | 4 v 4 | |
Sport
|
FIFA ’23 | Console | 12 | 1 v 1 |
eFootball 2023 (Konami) | Console | 12 | 1 v 1 | |
Rocket League | PC and Console | 12 | 1 v 1 | |
Sim racing – Assetto Corsa Competizione | PC | 12 | 1 | |
MOBA
|
DotA 2 | PC | 12 | 5 v 5 |
Clash Royale | Mobile | 12 | 1 v 1 | |
League of Legends | PC | 12 | 5 v 5 | |
Clash of Clans | Mobile | 12 | 1 v1 | |
Mobile Legends Bang Bang | Mobile | 12 | 5 v 5 | |
Fighting
|
Tekken 7 | Console | 16 | 1 v 1 |
Street Fighter V | Console | 12 | 1 v 1 | |
Card | HearthStone | Various | 12 | 1 v 1 |
Tournament Structure:
As per the MSSA’s rules, being:
- If less than six teams, the championship shall be a Round Robin Championship
- If 6 to 10 teams enter the championship there shall be four rounds as played to the Swiss System
- If 11 or more teams enter the championship there shall be five rounds as played to the Swiss System
Eligibility:
- Any team consisting of players who are Registered Players affiliated to a MSSA member club may enter.
Entries:
- Entry is R100.00 per Registered Player.
- Only fully-paid-up Registered Players may participate in this event.
- Entries must be submitted by 27 January 2023.
- To enter, the club must complete the Google Drive document.
- The entry form may be found on Google Drive.
- Clubs are to download the entry form, completed the downloaded form, and e-mail it to Mind Sports South Africa.
- Photographs of players must accompany the entry.
Medals:
Medals shall be handed over to winners at the next MSSA LAN that they attend.
MALE:
- PREMIER: Medals shall be awarded to the first three teams.
- UNDER 24: Medals shall be awarded to the first three teams that have not won a Premier medal and which are comprised entirely of students currently registered at any officially recognized University.
- SCHOLARS: Medals shall be awarded to the first three teams of learners currently registered at any officially recognized school, provided they have not received any Premier medals.
FEMALE:
- PREMIER: Medals shall be awarded to the first three teams.
- UNDER 24: Medals shall be awarded to the first three teams that have not won a Premier medal and which are comprised entirely of students currently registered at any officially recognized University.
- SCHOLARS: Medals shall be awarded to the first three teams of learners currently registered at any officially recognized school, provided they have not received any Premier medals.
Colours:
- Protea Colours: Only Players that are selected to represent South Africa in International Championships may earn National Colours if the Protea Colours Board’s criteria are met.
- National Colours: All Players that win all of their Matches at a National Championship will earn National Colours.
- Provincial Colours: All Players that win all of their Matches at a Provincial Championship will earn Provincial Colours. All Players who score within the top 50% in a specific Period at a Provincial Championship, and who also score within the top 50% at a National Championship in the same period and in the same year, will earn Provincial Colours.
General:
- The championship shall be played on: 28 January 2023
- The first round will start at 10H00. Players shall be given 60 minutes to complete each round.
- The championship is accredited as being of the same status as a provincial championship.
- The championship shall be used for the awarding of provincial colours;
- The championship shall be used for the awarding of medals for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in Premier, Under 24, and School categories;
- The championship shall be used for the ability to qualify for National Team Squad.
- All medals shall be awarded to the recipients at a MSSA LAN championships.
Umpires:
- Umpires may only be contacted over Skype on the day of competition. Any communication not on the Skype channel shall not be entered into.
Ladder:
- All games shall count towards the National Ladder.
Shout casting:
- MSSA shall decide who may shout-cast the games.
- Anybody wishing to be appointed as a Shout-Caster must apply in writing
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