Sibol Pokémon UNITE Assured of Bronze After Sweeping Hong Kong

Sibol’s Pokémon UNITE squad is now assured of at least a bronze medal after sweeping Hong Kong, 2-0, in the quarterfinals of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Sunday at Aichi Sky Expo.

The victory sent the Philippines into the semifinals, where it will face Group B top seed Indonesia later Sunday for a spot in the gold-medal match.

The Filipinos dominated the opening game, pulling away early behind Robert Mempin’s Darkrai to claim a 576-80 victory.

Mempin finished with 230 points, four knockouts, and four assists, while Lawrence Gatmaitan contributed 211 points, three knockouts, and six assists using Crustle.

Hong Kong put up a stronger fight in the second game, but Sibol maintained control and eventually closed out the series with another 576-207 victory.

Ducke Leoncio led the Philippines in the deciding game with Mew, dealing 71,672 damage while finishing with 129 points, four knockouts, and five assists.

The result also secured the Philippines its first-ever esports medal in Asian Games history.

Sibol’s medal run comes after a difficult start to its campaign. The Philippines was disqualified from its scheduled opening match against Kazakhstan because of a uniform violation, with both teams ruled out of the match.

The team bounced back by defeating Chinese Taipei and Malaysia, both in 2-0 sweeps, to finish atop Pool A with a 2-1 record and advance to the knockout stage.