Athletes from the Philippines compete in the 31st South-East Asia Games

The season of the year arrived as athletes from 11 Southeast Asia countries competed against one another in a variety of sports. Every two years, the South-East Asian Games, or SEA Games, are held. This event featured a variety of sports and brought together athletes from 11 different countries: Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, who came to compete for their country's pride and glory on an international stage with a fiery love for their sport. The Southeast Asian Games Federation regulates the competitions, which are overseen by the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Council of Asia.

The 31st Southeast Asian Games are presently being held in Hanoi, Vietnam. It will take place from May 6 to 23. All of the sports are split up amongst 11 different Vietnamese cities and provinces. My Dinh Stadium hosted the opening ceremony last May 12th. But here's a fun fact: before the 31st season, my country, the Philippines, held the 30th Southeast Asian Games from November 30 to December 11, 2019, and Philippines was named overall winner. A total of 149 gold, 117 silver, and 121 bronze medals were won by Filipino athletes.

According to SEA Games rules, the countries are ranked according to the most number of gold medals.

Today is the 13th day of the 31st Southeast Asian Games. Various athletic activities had previously been completed. Each sport have three winners: a gold medalist for first place, a silver medalist for second place, and a bronze medalist for third place. Here is the current medal count for each country:

As someone who enjoys sports, I am looking forward to seeing the SEA Games, particularly the Volleyball Games and E-sports: Mobile Legends Bang Bang. Even in the local sports scene, these two specific sports is what I enjoy watching the most.

Volleyball

The Women's Volleyball Team is on their way to face the Indonesian team for the bronze medal match. They have had a rough journey so far, having only won their opening game against Malaysia. After that, their next game was against Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam, and they lost all these three games, three sets in a row.

It's been a long time since the Philippine team has won a medal in this sport, so I'm rooting for them to win the bronze medal match in their next encounter.

The Men's Volleyball Team, on the other hand, had already completed their journey after losing to Cambodia and Thailand. They didn't win a single game, hence they didn't have a chance to compete in this year's battle for a medal. They did, however, win a silver medal at the 30th SEA Games so I am still looking forward to their return the next season because I know how competetive our Men's Team are. Maybe this is just not their year.

E-Sports: Mobile Legends Bang Bang

The MLBB sports began last May 18th. The Philippine team, known as SIBOL, competed in three games and won all three, sweeping its opponents Malaysia, Laos, and Myanmar.

The semi-finals took place today, and they still managed to defeat Singapore with a reverse sweep.

They will compete for gold against Indonesia, a powerful team, tomorrow. I wish them well.

UPDATE: The MLBB Philippine team successfully defended their title by defeating Indonesia in a 3-1 series. Another gold for the country.

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There are three days remaining till the 31st SEA Games conclude, and there are still plenty of games to be played. Good luck to everyone. However, I'd want to commend all of the participants that participated in the 31st Games. Despite having to prepare and compete under the Covid19 protocol, they all managed to give their all and represent their nation. Congratulations to everyone, especially the medal winners. The Southeast Asian Games have had another successful run.