PESO gets accredited as the National Sports Association for esports in the Philippines
The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has formalized the accreditation of the Philippine Electronic Sports Organization (PESO) as the official National Sports Association for eSports in the Philippines.
In a certificate issued on October 9, 2020, the POC declared PESO as an associate member of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) – Philippine Olympic Committee.
“We are grateful to the POC in their recognition of PESO and Esports. This would help us bring in more support to our fellow Filipinos who are competing globally and bringing glory to the Philippines.”, said PESO President Brian Lim.
Members of PESO include Bren Esports, Gariath Concepts, Mineski Philippines, The Nationals, PlayBook Esports, Tier One Entertainment, TV5, and TNC Holdings.
Since 2012, PESO has been a member of the International Esports Federation (IESF) and organized national qualifiers for various tournaments.
The IESF is the only esports organization in the world that fulfills all criteria set by the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). Founded in 2008, IESF is the oldest and largest esports organization in the world, counting 82 members from all continents.
Esports inches closer to worldwide acceptance
Globally, esports is also growing as a sport. Thirty-six of the 82 IESF members have already been recognized by their respective National Olympic Committees.
Esports was staged as a medal event in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games for the first time last year when the country hosted the meet. At the event, Team Sibol managed to win three gold medals, along with one silver and one bronze.
Last March, IESF and Asian Esports Federation (AESF) signed a milestone agreement to promote and advance esports globally.
Under the agreement, the IESF recognizes the AESF as the sole federation for esports in Asia, while the AESF recognizes IESF as the sole federation for esports on an international level.
According to an official release by the IESF about the agreement, it “unites all member associations and federations under one umbrella, thereby confirming a clear and transparent structure of esports globally.”
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has recognized both the IESF and the AESF as the official sports federation for esports.
As esports’ meteoric rise increases on a global scale, it may not be long until we see the idea of it becoming an official Olympic sport come into fruition.
