Pinoy Tekken 8 Pro representatives Alexandre “AK” Laverez, Juliano “Jules” Lozano and Andreij “Doujin” Albar will fight in the Tekken 8 Team Battle tournament in Australia. Photo from The Array Learn Make Play Facebook Page
What’s more frustrating than losing in Tekken? It’s knowing that you’re great at it and not being able to participate in an international tournament! That was the case for Pinoy Tekken pro Alexandre Laverez for at least 3 times before when he was applying for tournaments abroad in the previous years. He actually had a 0-3 battle (3 times being denied) with the U.S. Embassy and getting straight-up denied entry for the EVO Championship that was held in Las Vegas, Nevada last August 4-6 2023.
Things have changed since those dark ages of being shadowbanned from tournaments for having a relatively weak PH passport. He has since played in tournaments in countries like Romania, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and even the USA recovering from a seemingly inevitable and uncontrollable loss to having top-notch performances when given a chance.
AK shares that he has finally gotten visa approval for the Tekken World Tour Last Chance Qualifiers held in New Orleans placing 2nd. Photo from AK’s Facebook Page.
This 2024, it’s looking great for our Tekken pro players as we already have 3 invited players to participate in an invitational tournament in Australia! Alexandre “AK” Laverez, Juliano “Jules” Lozano and Andreij “Doujin” Albar will be the official Philippine players who will be brawling with other invited players in the PHL vs. AUS Tekken 8 Team Battle.
AK and Jules on a call with the organizers of the PHL vs. AUS Tekken 8 Team Battle along with representatives from the Migration Corporation of Australia which actively helped in the players’ visa approval. Photo from The Array Learn Make Play Facebook Page
We’re still at the early stages of 2024 and good news like this one can be a precedent for future cases of visa applications to different countries especially for our esports players. We’re happy that our PH representatives are getting proper help so they can play at the global stage.
We wish you luck, AK, Jules, and Doujin! Make PH Proud!