The Vietnam Recreational and Electronic Sport Association (VIRESA) has confirmed 8 games and 10 esports competitions will be featured at the 2021 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
The Philippines took most of the gold in the 2019 SEA Games for Dota 2, Starcraft II, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
THE Vietnam Recreational and Electronic Sport Association (VIRESA) has confirmed eight games and 10 esports competitions will be featured at this year’s Southeast Asian (SEA) Games as official medal sports.
The 2021 SEA Games is scheduled to take place from November 21 to December 2, in Hanoi, Vietnam featuring 40 disciplines and participants from eleven countries across Southeast Asia. Esports was first introduced in the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines.
The full list of competitions are as follows:
1. Arena of Valor (Mobile)
2. PUBG Mobile – Team
3. PUBG Mobile – Individual
4. FreeFire (Mobile)
5. League of Legends (PC)
6. League of Legends: Wild Rift (Mobile, Men's)
7. League of Legends: Wild Rift (Mobile, Women’s)
8. FIFA Online 4 (PC)
9. Cross Fire (PC)
10. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Mobile)
The Philippines took most of the gold in the 2019 SEA Games for Dota 2, Starcraft II, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. The country will have to defend its title in the latter game against Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor, and Vietnam.
In an interview, Philippine Esports Organization Deputy Secretary-General Joebert Yu said they hope to send players to compete in all the titles.
"We still have to talk about the possibility because this is the first time our federation will join the SEA games on a non-hosting capacity. Before when we hosted it, we had the advantage. But now we have to look at all kinds of factors like the expense of flying," he said.
Last September, gaming brand Razer lobbied for esports' inclusion at the 2021 SEA Games after organizers initially removed it from the program due to budget constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Razer was a Gold sponsor to the 2019 SEA games in support of esports in the region.
Based in Singapore, Razer is looking to not only reinstate esports at the SEA Games but also have it included in the Asian Games and Olympics in the future.
On March 1, the Olympic Council of Asia and the Asian Electronic Sports Federation announced the inclusion of esports as an official medal sport at the 2022 Asian Games. The decision was voted in by all 45 National Olympic Committees (NOC).
The official titles for the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games have yet to be announced but the announcement has gamers worldwide asking when esports will be included in the Olympics. (HD)
Tags: #esports, #SEAGames2021