The qualifications for the world championship in the discipline that combines e-sports and sports - Phygital - begin this weekend, and the first on the program is Phygital Football. In Bar, teams will meet at SC Topolica on February 7th and 8th to show their knowledge and skills both on the real and virtual field. Last year was experimental for this new branch of sport, and already this year for the qualifications we have a larger number of registered teams in all disciplines, which shows that the phyigtal community is growing.
"The Phygital format has made a huge leap forward in a very short time. Last year, it was a new concept that was just entering the market and most clubs and athletes viewed it with a degree of reserve. Today, the situation is completely different. Teams contact us on their own, ask about dates and want to be part of the competition. The combination of the digital and physical parts of sports has proven to be a natural continuation of modern sports, especially for the younger generations who have grown up with technology, but also for professional athletes for whom it is a new challenge. We can safely say that in a year, phygital has gone from an experiment to a serious discipline that has a structure, an audience and potential," he proudly points out. Filip Šoć president of the Electronic Sports Federation, which is the organizer of this competition.
We have professional futsal and basketball teams that, according to the interviewee of "Vijesti", are increasingly showing interest in this type of competition.
"Interest is constantly growing. Futsal and basketball teams have been the fastest to embrace the phygital concept because the transition from the sports field to the digital field is the most natural for them. They already have team organization, tactics, and a competitive mentality, while the digital part brings an additional dimension and a new level of strategy. It is important to emphasize that phygital does not require athletes to be professional gamers, but rather to understand the mechanics of the game and connect it to the sports knowledge they already possess. It is precisely this balance that makes this form interesting and sustainable," emphasizes Šoć.
The games played last year in the Phygital Basketball and Phygital Football qualifiers were different from those in the main competition, which created problems for the teams during their preparations, and Šoć reveals how this will be resolved:
"One of the main lessons from last season was the need for earlier and clearer communication. This year, the focus is on teams knowing in advance which versions of the games will be used so that they can train adequately. The plan is to provide demo training and trial tournaments before the official qualifiers, so that everyone has equal conditions and avoid last-minute improvisations. Transparency and predictability are the keys to a quality result," he believes.
At last year's World Championship in Abu Dhabi, Montenegro had representatives in the Phygital Basketball and Phygital Dance categories, and the best result was achieved by the competitors in Phygital Shooter, who ultimately won fourth place. The biggest challenge with the Phygital format is the lack of space for physical training, especially for Phygital Shooter, because there are very few opportunities to practice laser tag in Montenegro. This is exactly what influenced the final result of the Montenegrin team in Abu Dhabi. Šoć emphasizes that creating adequate training conditions will be a priority this year.
"This is one of the priorities this season. The plan is to provide time and space for physical training, at least in limited slots, so that teams can practice before international competitions. Last year was a learning and testing phase, while now we are moving towards a more systematic approach. Without physical preparation, phygital does not make sense, and this is where additional effort is being made to make our representatives more competitive," he believes.
After this weekend, when we will know which team will win a ticket to Kazakhstan in Phygital Football, the Phygital Basketball and Phygital Shooter tournaments are scheduled for the last weekend of February. While basketball will be played in Bar, the kanteraši will gather in Bijelo Polje. Despite the growing interest in this branch of the sport, Phygital Basketball still reigns supreme.
"Basketball is currently the most sought-after phygital discipline in our country. Between 12 and 16 teams are expected through the qualifying tournaments, which represents a significant increase compared to the previous year. Basketball 3x3 is already a very developed sport in the region and naturally fits into the phygital concept, so it is logical that we see the largest number of applications and the highest competitive intensity there," adds Šoć.
The date of the Phygital Dance is not yet known, and the interviewee of "Vijesti" hopes that the competitors will come more prepared this year, because it was precisely the fact that they did not know the game last year that affected the result.
"Interest is stable, but this year more attention is being paid to preparation. Just Dance looks simple, but it requires technique, rhythm and an understanding of the scoring system. The focus will be on earlier training and trial events so that the representatives come more prepared and confident. This is a discipline that attracts a wider audience and has great promotional potential," Šoć is sure.
At the Future Games, which also included the Phyigital Championship in Abu Dhabi, we also had representatives in Robotics, and about how the team will be selected this year and whether roboticists will participate in this competition, Šoć says:
"Robotics is a specific discipline because it is formally more related to the Games of the Future than to the classic phygital qualifications. Therefore, a separate qualification cycle cannot be guaranteed in advance like in football or basketball. However, there is a real possibility that our teams will reappear in that discipline if we are highly ranked internationally and maintain or improve our status within the global system, especially through the so-called 'gold member' category and country scoring. In other words, robotics remains our goal and ambition, but access depends on international invitations and overall ranking, and not just on local qualifications. That is why we are working on maintaining contacts and preparing teams so that we are ready if that opportunity arises," said Šoć, adding that the essence of this year is earlier preparation, better logistics, more training and clearer rules.
"Phygital is no longer a novelty. It is now entering a phase of serious development, where we are not just talking about the idea, but about the structure, results and long-term plan. The goal is for our teams to be ready not only for participation, but for competitive placements on the international stage," concludes Šoć.
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