While preparing for last year's IESF World Esports Championship, Armand van der Colf went to the gym three times a week and practised for nearly six hours daily. 

The thing is that most people will guess wrong when asked what sport the Tuks athlete is so passionate about. The most obvious would be to think he is an endurance junkie, but he is not. 

Van der Colf loves to battle in front of a gaming screen. In December, he represented South Africa at the IESF World Esports Championship in Bali. More than a thousand athletes from 115 countries competed. 

According to Van der Colf, he and his teammates gave a good account of themselves. Winning one of their three games. 

"Ours is a good performance considering that we were amateurs competing against 'professionals'. Most of the teams are paid to play while we are students who need to find time to train."

The BSc Computer Science student at UP-Tuks feels honoured to be selected to represent Africa on the IESF Athlete's Commission. 

Van der Colf started playing when he was 10 years old. It did not take long for him to get hooked. 

Of late, his game of choice is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It boils down to two teams-Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists, fighting each other in a series of matches on various maps. To win a match, a team has to win a set number of rounds. A match could last anything from an hour to three hours. 

"Our game is like chess, but there are so many more things that you got to be aware of. You got to be able to make decisions in half a second. It certainly helps to be fit. Playing squash helps to quicken my reflexes. That is why I tried to go to the gym at least three times during the World Champs build-up. On one of those days, I would play squash. Afterwards, time allowing, I practised playing for six hours. It was not always possible because I also had to study.

"At the end of the day, esports is like any other sport. The more you train, the better you get.

"In our game, teamwork is of cardinal importance. We were five, and each was tasked to do something specific. As in rugby, we will have a team talk when we want to execute a particular strategy. You also need to be able to communicate. It is essential to know where your teammates are at any given moment."

As to his role serving on the IESF Athlete's Commission, Van der Colf said he hopes to help improve tournament quality and get more people to take up the sport. 

"I especially hope to do so at Tuks."