After a year of postponement, the 2021 Southeast Asian Games finally took place, much to the delight (and relief) of athletes across the region. As all eyes turned to the participants and people at home watched with bated breath, Twitter was where people went to find out #WhatsHappening in #SEAGames2021 in real time, while cheering for their local athletes and national teams, and connecting with other like-minded sports enthusiasts.
From gymnastics and weightlifting, to basketball and volleyball, people in Southeast Asia sure had a lot to talk about on Twitter as their representatives competed in Hanoi. Hashtags such as #SEAGames2021, #BLCKforGOLD, and #LabanPilipinas were the go-to for people looking to get live updates on-ground. In fact, from 12 May to 23 May 2022 alone, there were more than 33 million Tweets globally around #SEAGames2021, with Tweets from the Philippines making up almost 25% of the total conversation in Southeast Asia.
Here’s what Filipinos talked about during #SEAGames2021 on Twitter:
The Filipino spirit has always been there even being in another country as Gilas Pilipinas Men’s, Kiefer Ravena (@kieferravena), Thirdy Ravena (@ThirdyRavenaaa), and Matthew Wright (@Mr_Wright_), shown their support to their fellow Filipino athletes during the artistics gymnastics event.
Of course, as one of the most awaited events and one of the newly-introduced sports in #SEAGames which started last 2019, Pinoy e-sports fans celebrated when the SIBOL (@SIBOLesports), Philippine national esports team for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, bagged its second gold medal during #SEAGames2021.
What better way to show #PinoyPride than Filipinos also expressed their love and how proud they are of the country’s Billiard Legend, Efren “Bata” Reyes. At 67 years old, he still secured a podium finish with a bronze in the Men’s 1-Cushion Carom Singles event.
No matter what the outcome of #SEAGames2021 is, Twitter was the roar of the stadium where people cheered, celebrated, and expressed their disappointment. Sports fans on Twitter in Southeast Asia were closer than ever during these enthralling moments with Twitter features that allowed them to stay in loop with the real-time results and helped connect them with their favourite sport communities from wherever they were.
For instance, Twitter Topics helped fans easily find the conversations that mattered most to them – be it a basketball star, e-sports team, or billiards legend.
The sporting community on Twitter is so diverse, there’s something for everyone to enjoy and share. So, while competitions and tournaments make a gradual comeback; on Twitter, the cheers never end.
