ni MC - @Sports | July 20, 2020
NAGSANIB-PUWERSA ang Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) at ang Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) upang manawagan sa iba pang member federations para maisulong ang esports bilang medal sport ng bansa sa Vietnam 31st Southeast Asian Games sa 2021.
Nagpadala ng liham si AESF Director General Sebastian Lau kay National Electronic Sports Federation of the Philippines (NESFP) President Ramon Suzara hinggil sa pagnanais ng continental federations na maisama ang esports sa SEAG sa Nob. 21-Disyembre 2 sa susunod na taon.
“I am writing this letter to seek your support in driving our Olympic collaboration agenda for the upcoming 2021 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games sa Hanoi,” saad ni Lau. “We found out the news that Vietnam has not included esports as one of the official games, and currently it is in a process where the participating countries send an (appealing) letter to the hosting country Vietnam.”
Sinabi ng Vietnam na tinapyas nila sa 36 sports lang mula sa 46 ang pagdaraos ng biennial meet dahil sa pagtitipid dahil na rin sa COVID-19 pandemic. Nakataya rito ang Esports.
Ang NESFP lamang ang tanging esports association sa bansa na kinikilala at sinesertipikahan ng AESF at ng Global Esports Federation.
Nitong nakaraan, sinabi ni POC President Abraham Tolentino na pangungunahan niya ang pag-lobby na hikayatin din ang ibang SEA Games member countries na kumbinsihin ang Vietnam na isama ang esports.
“The AESF would like our federations in Southeast Asia to be United and support the Olympic collaboration agenda,” saad ni Lau. “To further support our unification, we would like to encourage you to advocate the inclusion of esports as a medal event at the 2021 SEA Games in Hanoi.”
“This lobby from the AESF is a welcome development for esports,” saad ni Suzara. All SEAG countries have already adopted esports and they would want the sport to be played in Vietnam next year.”
Isinulong ang Esports ng International Olympic Committee (IOC) at isinama bilang demonstration sport sa Paris 2024. Isinama rin ng Indonesia ang esports bilang demonstration sport nang mag-host ang bansa noong 18th Asian Games 2018.
Humakot ang Pilipinas ng mga medalya sa esports noong 30th SEAG noong Disyembre, nakapagwagi ng 3 sa 6 na gold medal na nakataya. Ang Thailand ay naka-2 gold, Malaysia ay isa habang ang Vietnam ay nakapag-uwi ng 3 bronze medals.
Kinikilala ang AESF na nakabase sa Hongkong ng Olympic Council of Asia at 45 mga member countries kabilang na ang 11 bansa sa SEA Games federation.