Philippine national esports team Sibol has officially kicked off its campaign en route to the 31st SEA Games set to take place in Hanoi, Vietnam from May 12 to May 23, 2022.
After weeks of tryouts, Sibol completed its roster last February 2022 with a total of 55 athletes and 9 coaches vying for the gold slate at the upcoming biennial regional sporting event. Powered by Smart, Sibol debuted in the 30th SEA Games and has since secured other major sponsors including PLDT, TV5, Cignal, and Realme as of this writing.
In a press briefing hosted by the Philippine Esports Organization (PeSO), the team unveiled its new logo, the official jersey, and launched its “Lakad Matatag” slogan. This battle cry was taken from PeSO Executive Director Marlon “Lon” Marcelo’s globally famous caster call from a Dota2 match.
PeSO is the country’s national governing body for esports. It has been a member of the International Esports Federation (IESF) since 2012 and an associate member of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) since 2020.
PeSO gave a sneak peek of the athlete roster competing in the games. In attendance were Kristoffer Ed L. Ricaplaza, MLBB World Champion Coach; Christine Ray Roque Natividad, Wildrift No.1 Female team SEA; Angel Danica Quiros Lozada, Wildrift No.1 Female Team SEA; Dennis O. Ramos Jr., CrossFire FPS game; Ralph Andrei M. Llabres, SIBOL Overall Head Coach; and Jabs Escutin, Sibol General Manager.
Sibol is set to introduce the complete team roster within the next few weeks. The ten (10) esports events at the 31st SEA Games are League of Legends, FIFA 4, CrossFire, Arena of Valor, Garena Free Fire, Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB), League of Legends: Wild Rift, and PUBG. The first batch of delegates is scheduled to fly to Hanoi on the week of May 9, 2022.
“We’re extremely proud to support a talented and passionate team who has been training relentlessly to represent our country to the best of their abilities. We are confident that Sibol will continue to put the Philippines on the global esports map and prove that Filipinos can dominate in this arena,” says Jane Basas, PeSO board member and SVP and Head of Consumer Wireless Business at Smart.
The 64-person-strong Sibol team is currently training at the Brenn Esports Facility in Makati, which is funded by Smart.
Marcelo adds that PeSO, together with its sponsors are working on a lineup of activities for the delegation to give local and international esports fans an opportunity to get to know them leading to the competitions.
Bringing in an all-new Sibol delegation, fielding an all-female team
With the exception of Jabs Escutin, the 2019 MLBB manager who brought home the gold medal, the roster comprises fresh faces from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Sibol will also be debuting its first all-female team for League of Legends: Wild Rift at the 31st SEA Games.
“Each athlete from the new Sibol team proved that they are at the top of their game when we conducted the nationwide search. The team hails from different backgrounds and ages all united by one shared goal of winning big at the upcoming international events,” said Escutin.
Escutin added that they are grateful to be backed by their sponsors – Smart, PLDT, Realme, TV5, and Cignal who have joined them in their Lakad Matatag journey.
Tech and lifestyle brand realme will be sponsoring all 64 delegates with a smartphone for their official use. The will be receiving an assortment of models which includes the newly-launched realme 9 Pro and realme 9 Pro +.
Making firsts in PH esports history at international sports events
Sibol first made history for winning 5 medals (3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) dominating Dota 2, Starcraft II, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and Tekken 7 at the 30th SEA Games which was held in Manila in 2019.
With an overall score of 3-2, Sibol defeated Indonesia in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang discipline to win the first-ever esports gold medal in Southeast Asia.
The bemedaled team will also be representing the Philippines in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, and the 14th IESF Esports World Championship in Bali, Indonesia, both scheduled to take place later this year.
For more updates, visit Philippine Esports Organization and Sibol‘s official Facebook pages.