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By Prince Golez, Manila Reporter
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Tuesday, April 25, 2017
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MANILA – Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV has welcomed the decision to include e-sports as a medal sport in the 2022 Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, China.
Its inclusion will provide Filipino gamers a venue where they can showcase their skills and competitiveness on international stage, Aquino said.
“The inclusion of e-sports in the prestigious Asian Games will give Filipino e-sports athletes opportunity to showcase their talent and bring honor to the Philippines,” the senator said.
Earlier, the Olympic Council of Asia announced that e-sports will also be featured as a demonstration sport at next year’s Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia.
Aquino said that the addition of competitive gaming in the Asian Games will recognize Filipino players as legitimate athletes and entitle them to financial and other forms of support from the government.
“With this development, we expect the government to fully support our Filipino cyber athletes as they hone their skills through training and participation in local and international events,” the chairman of the Senate committee on science and technology said.
He added that e-sports’s inclusion will correct the public’s negative perception about e-sports, especially if they are properly managed and given guidance by the government.
Aquino was instrumental in the creation of the Philippine e-sports Association, which was established to support welfare of cyber athletes and strengthen the foundation of e-sports in the country.
According to him, the country’s video game development industry is a potential source of employment opportunities for Filipinos.
In August last year, the TNC, the country’s professional Dota 2 team, finished 8th at The International 6, one of the world’s biggest e-sports events./PN
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