Esports is due to feature at the Asian Games as a medal sport for the first time in the Chinese city, having been a demonstration sport at Jakarta-Palembang 2018.

There were due to be titles on offer in eight games, but the decision to drop Hearthstone was approved at the Olympic Council of Asia Coordination Committee meeting in Hangzhou.

Hangzhou 2022 blamed the expiry of a commercial cooperation agreement between the game's United States-based producer Blizzard Entertainment and its operator in China NetEase, which meant "the operation team and server are in a terminated state".

Blizzard Entertainment's licensing agreement with NetEase came to an end after 14 years in November 2022, and it officially shut down its game servers in China in January of this year.

It was given a deadline of the end of February by the Organising Committee and Asian Esports Federation to confirm a replacement operator or obtain the publication number.

OCA director general Husain Al-Musallam told insidethegames at the Athletes' Forum here that the decision to drop Hearthstone as "a technical issue".

Hearthstone was one of the games which featured as an esports demonstration event at the last Asian Games.

Its removal and decision not to seek a replacement leaves League of Legends, Arena of Valor Asian Games Version, Peace Elite Asian Games Version, Dota 2, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, Street Fighter V, and FIFA Online 4 as the esports events at Hangzhou 2022.

The Asian Games were postponed until September 23 to October 8 this year because of COVID-19 restrictions in China.

Esports events are due to be held at the China Hangzhou Esports Centre.