What is sabong?
Sabong is the Filipino word for cockfighting: two gamecocks, a ring called a cockpit, and a crowd calling every moment. It is one of the oldest pastimes in the Philippines. This guide explains how it works and how 3dSabong.com recreates it in 3D.
Sabong in a few words
A sabong match, or sultada, puts two roosters bred for fighting (gamecocks, or gamefowl) against each other in a small round pit. The two sides are called Meron and Wala. Before the fight the birds are matched by weight, presented to the crowd and held face to face so each can see the other. Then they are released, and the fight runs until one bird can no longer fight, runs away, or the referee calls a draw.
The place where it happens is the sabungan, the cockpit arena, and the people who keep and fight gamecocks are sabungeros. On a busy day a cockpit runs a long card of fights, one after another.
Meron and Wala
Every fight has two corners. Meron ("has") is traditionally the side with more backing, often the favourite, and is shown in red. Wala ("has none") is the other side, shown in blue. A drawn fight is Tabla. You will hear these words in every sabong broadcast, and on 3dSabong.com's live stream. See the sabong glossary for the rest of the terms.
How a fight unfolds
A typical fight goes through the same stages every time: the matchup, when the two birds and their handlers are presented; last call, as the birds are shown to each other; the release; and the fight itself, which is often over within a minute or two. The referee decides the result: a bird that is down and cannot continue loses, a bird that runs away twice loses, and if neither will fight on it is a draw. The rules page goes through it step by step.
3D sabong: the same fight, no animals
3dSabong.com is a computer-generated sabong broadcast. Every bird is generated with its own build, plumage, fighting style and temper, and every fight is simulated in a 3D pit with recorded arena sound and live commentary. It runs 24 hours a day, with a new fight every three to four minutes.
- No live animals. Nothing is filmed and no bird is harmed.
- The fight decides. Results are not drawn in advance. Everything random in a fight comes from a seed sealed before the release, and each fight can be replayed and checked: see how results are decided.
- Real sabong structure. Meron and Wala, last call, peck tests, takbo and tabla, the day's card numbered from fight 1 each morning.