Only the Philippines, Indonesia, and Cambodia have publicly declared their participation in VALORANT at the SEA Games 2023 so far.
SINGAPORE – The Singapore Esports Association and the Esports Association of Brunei have stated that their respective countries will not be taking part in VALORANT at the upcoming SEA Games 2023.
In an unexpected move, the Singapore Esports Association (SGEA) stated in a letter the decision not to participate in VALORANT was made due to the lack of competitive VALORANT teams in Singapore with a full Singaporean roster and time constraints to run an open qualifier and form a team that will meet SNOC’s selection criteria by the February 1 deadline. The aforementioned criteria remains unclear as the official page does not provide comprehensive information.
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(Photo courtesy of Sport Singapore/Andy Chua)
Singapore has seen a rise in the popularity of esports in recent years, especially with Paper Rex and Bleed Esports making it far last year in the official VALORANT Champions Tour circuit. The news has sparked widespread discussion in the esports community, as the country was expected to be one of the major contenders for the title. Therefore, Singapore’s withdrawal from the VALORANT event at SEA Games is expected to impact the tournament’s outcome significantly.
However, the committee affirmed that Singapore will compete for esports medals in men’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Wild Rift – two of the six esports titles available at the SEA Games Cambodia.
Meanwhile, Brunei will not participate in the biennial event since it did not get a recommendation from its national federation owing to its lack of top-quality athletes in VALORANT. “Until Brunei players or teams participate more in VCT MY/SG, then it can be used as a benchmark for selection,” said Hawaii Yee, Secretary General of the National Esports Association of Brunei.
(Photo courtesy of MASOC/Amirul Azam)
Meanwhile, the Philippines and Indonesia have named Jose “Rbtx” Carlo Jamir and Baskoro Dwi “roseau” Putra, respectively, to lead their national teams in the upcoming SEA Games. In an effort to assemble the best possible squad, the Indonesian Esports Central Board (PBESI) has sent invitation letters to a total of 26 players to participate in the national selection, in which the final roster will be presented for nomination.
Meanwhile, the selection process for the Philippines’ SIBOL lineup for SEA Games 2023 differs from past iterations, where the entire winning lineup would represent the country in that the roster will be composed of players from the top four teams in the qualifier. As the winning team’s coach, Jose “Rbtx” Carlo Jamir of Oasis Gaming will call the shots.
VALO2ASIA have since reached out to the esports associations of the remaining six Southeast Asian Games Federation members that have yet to declare their participation in VALORANT.
The Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) is an international Olympic-style event held every two years and serves as a platform for the nations of Southeast Asia to showcase their sporting talents. The 32nd SEA Games will feature a diverse range of esports titles, including PUBG Mobile, League of Legends: Wild Rift, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Crossfire, Attack Online 2, and VALORANT, allowing gamers to compete and represent their countries in a new way. The biennial multi-sport competition will take place from May 5-17.
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