Entrants prepare for World Cyber Games grand final

With less than a month to go until the fifth World Cyber Games grand final kicks off, more than 700 gamers from 67 countries are preparing to pack their bags and head to Singapore.

Nine new countries have joined the tournament this year, and gamers from Greece, Croatia, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Egypt, Belarus, Macedonia, Pakistan and Bangladesh will take part in the final for the first time.

This year's event will also be the first to see a female cyber gamer competing - Verena Vlajo will be heading to Singapore after qualifying for Team Austria playing Dead or Alive Ultimate.

Iran's Amin Golnam, the youngest participant in WCG history, did not make it to the finals. However, he won huge support from spectators during preliminary events, where the three-year-old played FIFA Soccer 2005 using a joystick as he was too small to reach the PC keyboard.

"With the record number of participating countries and gamers growing once again this year, the World Cyber Games has truly evolved to become the gaming equivalent of the Olympics," said Hank Jeong, CEO of event organiser International Cyber Marketing.

"We are now preparing for a very exciting line up of events in Singapore."

The World Cyber Games grand final will take place in Suntec City from November 16-20, and the winner will walk away with the championship title and prizes worth USD 430,000. The event is sponsored by Samsung, Intel, Razer, SingTel and Video Pro.