Have you ever imagined that your favorite game like Just Dance is part of the Olympics? The inaugural Olympic Esports Week 2023 is currently being held at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibit Centre and we have witnessed an electrifying end to its first day. Just Dance Olympics caps off Day 1 of the Olympic Esports and we have crowned the winners of this competition.
Celebrating the Joy of Movement with Just Dance
Day 1 was capped off by celebrating the joy of movement with Just Dance as it was enjoyed by many especially fans of the game and esports enthusiasts at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibit Centre. This wasn’t the usual esports that you would see as it involved a game that involved more movement given the nature of the game. Everyone was treated to a delight of movements with precision, timing, and expression.
At the beginning of the olympic event, there were eight (8) different participants – Amandine Morisset (TheFairyDina) from France, Antonino Pomilia (Just Nino) from Italy, Aleksanteri Landström (TheAllu) from Finland, Joseph Gabriel Cordero (Aazzlano) from US, Fang Yuesi (Elsie) from People’s Republic of China, Diego Silva (Diegho San) from Brazil, Adithiyan Armstong (Arms73) from India, Siti Zhywee bte Ramle (Zhywee) from Singapore.
Quarterfinals Round
During the Quarterfinals, TheFairyDina and Elsie kicked off in a best of one match to the song of All You Gotta Do (Is Just Dance). The FairyDina and Elsie Fang wowed the audience to an amazing performance but ultimate the jury gave a 3-0 score in favor of TheFairyDina where she started her dominant run at the olympic event.
The second round of competition featured Just Nino and Diegho San in a fierce battle of movement with the song Leila. While the competition was fierce, there were a few technical difficulties that had to be addressed thus resulting into a replay since the scoring system was influenced by the Just Dance’s scoring system as well. After adjustments were applied, the match had finally commenced and Just Nino came up victorious fronting his playful and carefree self on-stage against his competition which made the jury favor him for this round.
The third round was between TheAllu and Arms73. The competitors in this round had to dance to the tune of Sugar Dance. Similar to the round prior this, techinical difficulties were met and as the league operations team would like to keep it fair and square for the competitors, the round was reset with TheAllu becoming this rounds winner.
For the fourth and final round of the Quarterfinals, it was between the host country’s Zhywee and US’ Aazzlano in a battle of movement and great cardio with the song Chiwawa. The song demanded a lot of movement (and possibly knee strength and great lung capacity) to accomplish. This particular round in the Quarterfinals was given extra love knowing that both competitors gave their all with the song’s difficulty to which Aazzlano came up on top.
Semifinals Round
Towards the Semifinals, we saw the match up of TheFairyDina and Just Nino as well as TheAllu against Aazzlano. In this part of the Just Dance Olympics, competitors had to do a best of three match and win two of three matches to proceed to the Finals.
TheFairyDina and Just Nino started the Semifinals and TheFairyDina wins the first round unanimously with a 3-0 score from the jury. During the second round of their battle, the jury gave a 2-1 score in favor of Just Nino forcing to go to a third and final round. At the last round of this Semifinals match, TheFairyDina just continued to dominate the Just Dance competition in the Olympic Esports Week 2023 with her graceful moves and unrivaled emotion through dancing which made her advance to the Finals, besting one of the crowd’s favorite, Just Nino.
The next round of Semifinals between TheAllu and Aazzlano was an amazing display of skill and cardio. During the first round of their bout, TheAllu takes the round clean with a 3-0 score against Aazlano with the song Mambo. But as we moved on towards round 2 of the match, Aazlano wins the round after getting a 2-1 jury score with the song Sayonara. As mentioned, their Semifinals match was really a battle of cardio and in this final round of the Semifinals, Aazlano gets the win with All You Gotta Do against TheAllu and advances to the finals.
Finals
Prior the Finals between TheFairyDina and Aazlano, there was supposed to be a battle for third match where both Finalists would be able to take a breather given that Aazlano just finished a pace-heavy Semifinals against TheAllu. Unfortunately, that battle for third match did not take place as the host announced that Just Nino will be awarded Third Place based on the Just Dance scoring system as well as the Jury’s previous votes. That prompted the competition to start immediately, making Aazlano perform the Finals round with minimal breathing time to recuperate and be at his best during the Finals.
Disclaimer: While this may be the case, perhaps it was the competitor’s choice to start right away. Details on this matter may be revealed later on.
The stage is set, the Finals round will now take place. The dominant TheFairyDina goes up against the resilient Aazlano with their first song as Chiwawa, a song that Aazlano had previously won against Zhywee. While that maybe the case, during the Finals, TheFairyDina continued to display her dominance and won the round 3-0 against the exhausted Aazlano. On to the next round, much like in a boss fight, a great song is a must. Yameen Yasar was the song of choice in the Extreme difficulty. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, both competitors put their hearts to what could be the last song of the Just Dance competition. In the end, TheFairyDina was just too dominant and bested Aazlano making herself the first Olympic Esports Champion in Just Dance.
When asked during an on-stage interview, TheFairyDina, Olympic Esports Champion shared that women can also be the best at what they do – Dedicating her win to her family, friends, and fans who have supported her throughout the competition as well as to all the women who continue to push the limits.
The Trophy Ceremony commences with Just Nino receiving Third Place, Aazlano receiving Second Place, and TheFairyDina receiving the First Place trophy.
Despite the technical difficulties and the challenges that were met during the Just Dance Olympics event, the crowd and the competitors were all pleased with the final event of the Olympic Esports Week 2023 Day 1. Congratulations to all the winners and to Just Nino, Aazlano, and TheFairyDina.
At the end of it all, fans and Just Dance enthusiasts were given a solid treat for being part of the Olympic Esports Week 2023 at Singapore where everyone got to celebrate the love for the game and a solid Just Dance campaign that was a surprise treat for everybody. The competitors, jury, fans, and the crowd were able to dance along with everybody on-stage was a great treat for everyone. A wonderful sight of sportsmanship and camaraderie even in the most competitive of stages.
The Olympic Esports Week 2023 continues this weekend with several other exhibition matches and official Olympic events at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibit Centre until June 25, 2023.
More on the latest news, updates, and events on the Olympic Esports Week Singapore 2023 here on ClutchPoints Gaming! Make sure to check in from time to time to see the latest updates like Just Dance Competition News, Just Dance Olympics News, and Just Dance Capping Off Day 1 of the Olympic Esports Week 2023.