Stephanie Luana da Silva Santos, also known as "TECA," has established herself as the top female FIFA player worldwide. As an Astralis ambassador in Latin America and a prominent figure in the esports industry, she inspires many and is a model for others to follow.

The 26-year-old woman from Brazil made history by becoming the first female to qualify for FIFA's Challenger Mode. This was a remarkable accomplishment in an industry that is predominantly male.

TECA was featured on the Olympic YouTube channel in March. The video, recorded at her home in Sao Paolo, Brazil, showcases her love for gaming and her journey toward success.

The channel has a massive following of 9.75 million subscribers.

In her portrait, she shares her experience of competing with elite male players, her obstacles, and how she has overcome them to achieve her objectives. She developed an interest in gaming from her late brother and has now been able to pay off her mother's mortgage and buy her a new car thanks to her successful career as a professional esports athlete.

The values of diversity

The 26-year-old Stephanie Luana da Silva Santos about being contacted by the Olympic channel:

- When they contacted me, I did not think much of it. I do a lot of content with different media, so when I checked out more information about the Olympic channel, I was impressed by how big it is.

- The amount of content, the quality of their content, and, of course, the number of followers they have, it was amazing to know that an entity as big as it is is also looking at virtual football. I was humbled and honored that they contacted me as a representative for women in esports.

- Producing the documentary for the Olympic channel was a lot of fun. It was a massive production, with maybe 10 people coming to my house to make the video. It was highly professional, and they were very respectful. They wanted to portray me not only as an esports gamer but also had the vision to show me as a person and talk about the values of diversity and what I stand for.

- Representing Astralis and the Astralis values means a lot to me, and people here in Brazil really like what we do. I am glad to use my platform to spread the message.

It goes without saying that the Olympic YouTube Channels boast a massive following.

• YouTube (9.75 million)
• Twitter (6.3 million)
• Facebook (22 million)
• TikTok (6.5 million)
• Instagram (5.6 million)

Hope to bring understanding and acceptance

TECA has been invited to speak at Singapore's first-ever Olympic Esports Week (OEW) from June 22-25, 2023.

- I will travel to Singapore to attend the Olympics Esports Week, where I will talk on "gender equality" in the "Forum". It is a big conference taking place before the start of the Olympic Esports Series. There will be many interesting people at OEW, and if me being there and talking diversity and equality can bring more understanding and acceptance, I will be glad.

If you're interested in keeping up with Stephanie Luana da Silva Santos, you can find her on her personal social media accounts on Twitch and Twitter.

• The IOC, along with International Federations (IFs) and game publishers, has created the Olympic Esports Series (OES), a worldwide competition for virtual and simulated sports.
• On March 1st both professional and amateur players from around the world were invited to take part in qualification rounds across the featured games.
• This will culminate in live, in-person finals at the first-ever Olympic Esports Week from June 22-25, 2023, in Singapore.