National esports team Sibol wants to be as big as Gilas

Filipino sports fans have always been religiously into basketball - and that has translated into plenty of support for the Gilas Pilipinas national team.

That support, in turn, has fueled Gilas to success on the international stage, such as the Southeast Asian Games, where they have won 18 gold medals.

And the country's national esports team, Sibol, is hoping to emulate that same success that their basketball counterparts have built through the years.

Sibol is set to field a 64-person delegation in the upcoming Vietnam SEA Games this May and they're hoping to be recognized the same way Gilas is right now.

"Of course ang mga lodi natin sa basketball, sa Gilas, we wanted to be like them. We wanted to be as big as them," said Sibol team manager Leo Escutin during their kickoff campaign press conference on Thursday.

"We wanted [na] at least na 'pag sinabing SIbol, Philippine team yan. 'Pag sinabing Sibol, magaling. 'Pag sinabing Sibol, masipag."

Although Sibol was just formed in 2019, it didn't take long for the esports squad to make its presence felt in the international scene.

During the maiden appearance of esports tournaments in the regional biennial meet last 2019, Sibol captured gold medals in Starcraft II, Dota 2, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and silver and bronze in Tekken 7.

This year, Sibol got even bigger. They are set to send 55 athletes and nine coaches, who will participate in all 10 events in the Vietnam Games, comprised of League of Legends, FIFA 4, CrossFire, Arena of Valor, Garena Free Fire, Mobile Legends, Wild Rift, and PUBG.

Sibol has gotten so big that major brands also rally behind them with companies like Smart, PLDT, Cignal, and realme throwing their support behind its SEAG campaign

"'Yan 'yung pangarap ng PeSO (Philippine Esports Organization) and of course, 'yun ang pangarap na gusto nating i-push dito sa campaign," added Escutin.

Escutin added that like Gilas, Sibol wants to be a role model that the Filipino youth can look up to.

"We wanted, of course, Sibol to become an inspiration to the youth. Hindi na lang basta basta gamer ka — isa ka ng atleta. 'Yun ang mensaheng gusto nating ipalabas ngayon," he shared.

"And of course, kung atleta ka you must uphold the values of hard work, dedication, discipline, at passion para sa craft mo. Kahit sinong atleta ginagawa 'yan para manalo and gusto naming maging inspirasyon sa kabataan na hindi lang kami gamer."

—JMB, GMA News