THE Philippine Esports Organization (PESO) considers SIBOL’s Asian Games campaign a success, with the country making a stronger push on the continental stage and its six-team delegation delivering a better showing.
After coming home empty-handed from the 2022 edition in Hangzhou, SIBOL finally broke through in Aichi-Nagoya, claiming two bronze medals through its Honor of Kings and Pokémon UNITE squads.
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Beyond the medals, the Filipinos also turned heads in events they entered with lower expectations, reaching the quarterfinals of Puyo Puyo Champions and Identity V, while narrowly missing out on a spot in the top four of Naraka: Bladepoint.
“If you look at the big picture of the campaign, the first one was very successful. The qualifiers itself, six out of seven games where we were able to qualify,” said PESO executive director Marlon 'Lon' Marcelo.
“Then moving forward, out of the six, two were actually medals. So if you think about it, for me, it’s still a success.”
The biggest setback came in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, where SIBOL's gold-medal hopes ended in the quarterfinals despite entering the tournament as one of the favorites.
Still, Marcelo believes the early exit does not overshadow what the country’s national esports team, backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee, accomplished.
“It so happened lang na the MLBB part was so heartbreaking and heart-wrenching kasi nandun lahat ng expectations. But if you treat it as equal, the medals that we actually achieved were more than enough for us,” he said.
Better preparation
Part of that success, Marcelo said, came from the preparation PESO was able to provide, including a bootcamp in Tokyo made possible by a grant from Senator Bong Go through the PSC.
The funding allowed the Philippine teams to train and settle in Japan before making the trip to Nagoya, giving them valuable time to adjust to the environment and prepare for their respective competitions.
“Nagtulungan talaga lahat. ’Yun ang maganda sa sports, eh. It brings together the best of everyone. Happy to say na nakakataba ng puso na ang daming tumulong para sa Asian Games dream,” he said.
With its Asiad campaign now in the books, Marcelo said PESO can carry the lessons from the experience into its next international campaigns, especially with the next test coming soon in the form of the China-ASEAN Esports Competition later this year.
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