The World Cyber Games, one of gaming's biggest spectacles, will return to the continent which made it famous next year after holding three consecutive events abroad. Following Korea, USA, Singapore, Italy, USA again, and this year's event in Germany, WCG will head back to Asia in 2009 where Chengdu, China will play host to the Olympics of eSports.

As always, the selection process for the host city put emphasis on infrastructure, which is increasing exponentially in the world's most populous country, and government support for the event, which is almost a formality as gaming has such a strong hold on Asia's youth. Chengdu holds a special distinction as the "first place in China to establish ratings for players, referees and coaches. Chengdu is also the first Chinese city to train cyber gaming referees and mandate gaming venue standards," according to the press release, the full text of which is below:

WCG Announces Chengdu, China as 2009 Host City

Wiesbaden, Germany April 8, 2008 – The World Cyber Games (WCG) today announced Chengdu, China as the WCG 2009 Grand Final host city for the world’s largest and most prestigious video game tournament and festival. The formal announcement will be made in China on April 23rd when Chengdu city officials and World Cyber Games officials join together for the official signing ceremony in Chengdu, China.

The World Cyber Games Committee considers numerous factors when selecting each year’s host city, including geography, facilities, infrastructure and marketing plans. For 2009, Chengdu received the overall highest score due to the extensive support offered by local government, accessibility of the Grand Final venue, and high network potential of broadcasters.

“As a state-level digital entertainment industry base, Chengdu aims to become the eSports training and tournament center in China,” said Mr. Ge Honglin, Mayor of Chengdu. “By hosting the World Cyber Games Grand Final, the biggest and most celebrated eSports and gaming festival in the world, we believe we are now well on our way to achieving this goal.”

Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province in China, is a city rich in history, dating back more than 2,300 years. Chengdu is a cultural center for science and technology, commerce and finance, as well as a hub for transportation and communication in southwest China. The city has already hosted a number of major eSport competitions and is the first place in China to establish ratings for players, referees and coaches. Chengdu is also the first Chinese city to train cyber gaming referees and mandate gaming venue standards.

“Chengdu already has an incredible reputation for being one of the world’s elite cities when it comes to hosting video game competitions,” said Hyoung-Seok Kim, CEO of International Cyber Marketing, organizers of the World Cyber Games. “We have no doubt that they will be a wonderful and exciting host city that provides World Cyber Games players and fans with a unique and amazing setting for the premiere event and competition.”

Founded in 2000, the pioneering WCG continues today under the slogan “Beyond the Game.” Over the years, it has steadily grown to become the world’s largest and most prestigious video game festival and tournament, with an aim to be a total digital entertainment festival for gamers and the general public.

The 2007 World Cyber Games experienced record numbers of gamers and participating countries, with more than 700 players and 70 countries competing in Seattle, USA. The WCG 2008 global tournament culminates with the World Cyber Games 2008 Grand Final, Nov. 5 – 9, in Cologne, Germany..

Samsung Electronics is the worldwide premier partner for the World Cyber Games. Other global partners include Microsoft Xbox 360 and Games For Windows, Samsung Monitor(SyncMaster), Philips amBX, Procurve Networking by HP, Dust-Off and several others.

Source: WCG