Dota 2 will headline the much-anticipated debut of esports in the 2022 Asian Games.
This means that the Philippines will have another chance to form one of the most formidable Dota 2 lineups in the continent with Filipino stars Abed “Abed” Yusop, Carlo “Kuku” Palad, Djardel “DJ” Mampusti, and Polo “Raven” Fausto, just to name a few.
Abed (Evil Geniuses), Kuku (T1), and Raven and DJ (Fnatic) are all set to play in The International 10 on October.
Other top local players are Kim “Gabbi” Villafuerte, Timothy “Tims” Randrup, and Armel “Armel” Tabios — the TNC core that won the MDL Chengdu Major in China.
All seven players mentioned above begged off in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, but the Philippines still managed to bag gold all thanks to Adroit Esports.
But with the addition of China — which houses numerous TI-caliber players — in the playing field, fans might get to see these stars team up for the country.
“We hope that this announcement allows all participating teams ample time to prepare and equip themselves ahead of the qualifying stages,” said OCA Director General Husain Al-Musallam.
“I believe we have ticked all the right boxes ensuring a high level of competition which promises great viewing for enthusiasts and casuals alike.”
The Olympic Council of Asia has also given the green light to add esports titles such as Arena of Valor, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, FIFA World Cup, Hearthstone, League of Legends, PUBG Mobile, and Street Fighter V.
Serving as the technical delegate for the Games is the Hong Kong-based Asian Electronics Sports Federation.
“We at the OCA are looking forward to working closely with our friends at the Asian Electronic Sports Federation and the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee to ensure a successful execution of the esports event at the 2022 Asian Games,” said Al-Mussalam.
Two demonstration sports will also join the eight medal titles namely Robot Masters and VR Sports.
The Philippines also competed in Hearthstone and Arena of Valor in the 2019 SEA Games but failed to land podium.
Curiously, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang — a game owned by Chinese-based organization Moonton — was left out of the list.
