Philippines readies to showcase talent at Esports Olympics in Saudi Arabia

MANILA: Following its finest-in-decades Olympic performance in Paris, the Philippines is now setting its sights on showcasing its talent during next year’s Olympic Esports Games in Saudi Arabia.

Last month, Saudi Arabia and the International Olympic Committee announced an agreement to host the inaugural Esports Games in the Kingdom in 2025.

Sports events are a key part of Vision 2030, a transformation program spearheaded by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which aims to pivot the Saudi economy away from dependence on oil. The first formal deal with the IOC and Saudi Arabia is the latest addition to the Kingdom’s broad portfolio of sports events.

In the 2025 Esports Olympics, Filipinos are pinning hopes especially on mobile esports, or games that can be played on a mobile device such as a smartphone or a tablet, a discipline that has been gaining popularity in the Southeast Asian nation for the past decade.

“We, the Philippines, are actually known for very good, I would say, esports achievements for the mobile category,” Marlon Marcelo, executive director of the Philippine Esports Organization, told Arab News on Wednesday.

“The goal is to make sure that we actually prepare and (ensure) that we can actually give the country its first ever Esports Olympics medal.”

Established in 2011, the Philippine Esports Organization is the national governing body for esports in the Philippines.

“We’re hoping that some of the esports games that we play in the Philippines hopefully will be included in the Esports Olympics, which will happen for the first time in 2025,” Marcelo said.

“We’re very much excited … The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has all the infrastructure and they seem to actually know all the needs for an esports athlete to become successful. That’s why, I guess, the IOC was actually happy to host the first-ever Esports Olympics. That says a lot about the preparedness of KSA in terms of infrastructure, equipment and the manpower to make sure that this happens.”

But before the Philippines gets the chance to showcase its talent, it will first have to prepare to qualify for the games.

“We still need to make sure that we qualify, overcome all the hurdles, so that we’ll make it to the Esports Olympics itself. Number two, making sure that we have funding along the way … We have a very great chance to get medals in the mobile games category,” Marcelo said.

“It’s a long shot, but the dream is still alive. We see this as an opportunity to showcase the Filipinos’ talents, not only in traditional sports, but of course, the new and upcoming sports, which is esports. In esports, there’s no tall, or fat, thin, or big body. It’s all fair, so Filipinos have a great chance to hopefully get the medals.”

Paolo Barcelona, president of the Philippine Esports Press Corps and an esports journalist, was equally enthusiastic about next year’s event in the Kingdom.

“We’re a nation that is known, at least in Southeast Asia, to be strong at various forms of mobile esports, and while the private sector and the country’s National Sporting Association have been helping, the government should make the same level of commitment and long-term investments for Philippine esports,” he told Arab News.

“The hope is that our country can win medals … Once we win a medal, especially a gold one, it can help change the perception of many Filipinos that esports is all about fun and games. Like in traditional sports, athletes spend hours mastering the game, competing from grassroots up to campus and the pro level. We need to show the nation that this can be one more source of national pride.”