Esports to be included in 31st SEA Games

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

 

Esports has been finally included in the final list of games to be played for the 31st Southeast Asian Games hosted by Hanoi, Vietnam in 2021.

Initially, esports was not included in the list of games for the 2021 SEAG according to AESF Director General Sebastian Lau.

“Originally, esports was not included as one of the 36 disciplines as part of the event which was released by the host nation back in July. This prompted AESF to drum up support to lobby for the inclusion of esports through the submissions of requests from participating countries during the appealing process thereafter. Today, we can now proudly and officially celebrate the inclusion of esports at the 2021 SEA Games,” shared Director General Lau.

In a report by the Vietnam Express International, one of the officials of the Vietnam Recreation and Esports Association bared that Dota 2, Arena of Valor, and Pro Evolution Soccer will be headlining the Esports games.

Last year when the Philippines hosted the SEA Games, esports that saw action were Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Arena of Valor, Dota 2, Tekken 7, Starcraft 2, and Hearthstone.

However, the SEA Games Esports committee still did not confirm the list of games and is yet to release the final set stating, “Further details on the tournament format, game titles contested and national team selection guides will be released in due course.”