Meet Sibol, Philippines’ national esports team!
Photo by EPICENTER
Following the historic announcement of esports’ inclusion in the upcoming 2019 Southeast Asian Games, Philippine Southeast Asian Games Esports Union (PSEU), a group under the Philippine Olympic Committee, was formed to oversee the biennial sports meet’s esports event, as well as the formation of the official Filipino delegates.
Yesterday, the group announced Sibol, the Philippines’ national team who will be competing in all six esports events—Dota 2, Starcraft II, Hearthstone, Arena of Valor, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and Tekken 7—as well as the most recognized Filipino esports athletes directly invited in the training pool.
Sibol Training Pool Direct Invitees
PC Games
Mobile Games
Console
Direct invitees to the national esports team training pool will be joined by the winners of an unannounced qualifying tournament, which will be open for all Filipino citizen over the age of 13. The qualifiers will unfold in August, but more details will be announced in the future.
To make it to the official roster, each player will be evaluated based on the mastery of their respective esports title, as well as their compatibility with the rest of the team, among other factors. Managers and coaches will be assigned per game, and they will be a part of the selection committee in charge of trimming the pool down to the final Sibol team that will compete in the SEA Games.
The final national esports team will be composed of seven players for each team game (Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Arena of Valor), and two representatives for each individual game (Tekken 7, Hearthstone, StarCraft II).
The PSEU believes that ‘Sibol’, a Filipino word which literally translates to “growth”, is a fitting name for the national team as it signifies both the rise global rise of esports, as well as the development of Filipino esports athletes. Donning red, blue, and yellow, the Philippines’ national colors, Sibol’s symbol is an amalgam of a lead and a flame, symbolizing a groundbreaking event, as well as the passion of Filipino gamers. The shapes in the flame also subtly spell out the country’s acronym, PHI.
The 30th SEA Games will be held in the Philippines from November 30 to December 11, 2019. Eleven countries will be participating in the games, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor, and Vietnam.
