Sibol wins two Asian Games bronzes, with MLBB programme set for review
The Philippines earned its first Asian Games esports medals in Pokemon Unite and Honor of Kings but exited Mobile Legends: Bang Bang in the quarterfinals.
Philippine Esports Organization (PeSO) executive director Marlon Marcelo said Sibol's two bronze medals at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya represented progress, despite its Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) team failing to reach the podium. He said the national programme would be reassessed, with changes planned for MLBB.
The Pokemon Unite and Honor of Kings teams delivered the Philippines' first Asian Games medals since esports gained full medal status. Sibol had finished without a medal in Hangzhou. Marcelo considered the campaign successful overall: six of the seven teams that contested qualifiers secured Asian Games places, and two won medals.
The MLBB squad, built around the core of four-time MPL Philippines champion Team Liquid PH, swept Jordan and Kazakhstan during group play. Indonesia then defeated it 1-2 in the quarterfinals. Marcelo said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino had expected gold but accepted that upsets happen and congratulated the bronze medallists.
Marcelo also identified staffing restrictions as a lesson for future preparations. Only the seven members of Sibol's official MLBB lineup could be present in the field of play, preventing the team from drawing on extra analysts or coaches during competition.
He said the arrangement surprised Sibol's coaches, while stressing that it did not excuse the result. Details of the planned MLBB changes would be provided by GM Jab once they were ready to be addressed, Marcelo added.