- Valve announces it postpones the tournament ahead of Stockholm Major in May
- Many Ukrainian players will not be able to attend it due to the war situation
- It is still unknown when or if the tournament will be back
The war in Ukraine forces Valve to indefinitely postpone its Eastern Europe Dota Pro Circuit.
The War Touches Even Esports
With world events unraveling in Eastern Europe and the war in Ukraine, many facets of life for even people outside of the directly involved countries are changing. From energy prices to traveling, to the stock market, the war in Ukraine has negative consequences even in the world of esports.
Due to it, Valve has decided to postpone the second season of the Dota Pro Circuit Eastern European Spring Tour. Considering many teams there are many Dota teams from both Ukraine and Russia, this is seen as a reasonable decision. However, it is still unclear how Valve will reschedule matches so that they line up with the ESL One Stockholm Dota Major 2022 that will occur in May.
“We have been informed by Valve that the DPC Eastern European Spring Tour is postponed indefinitely,” wrote EPICENTER, the event’s organizer on Twitter. “We will be back soon with details on the new start dates for open qualifications and the main part of the regional tournament.”
What Issues Might This Entail
One of the main selling points of the Dota Stockholm Major, or any major for that matter, is that teams from different regions are able to play on LAN against international competition. With the current geopolitical situation having grave effects even in the field of esports, Valve would need to speed up the process to catch up with the schedule.
It is not uncommon for many Dota 2 teams to be comprised of both Ukrainian and Russian players. Such is the case with Team Spirit, who have Ukrainian players Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk and Miroslaw “Mira” Kolpakov. Team Spirit released a statement regarding Mira’s participation in GAMERS GALAXY: Invitational Series Dubai 2022. Since Mira is currently in Ukraine, he will not be able to attend the tournament. The country’s president Zelensky has ordered a general mobilization, forbidding men from the ages of 18 to 60 to leave the country, in order to help with the war effort.
Team Spirit’s statement says they will be bringing Vladimir “RodjER” Nikogosian as a stand-in for the tournament.
With even the gaming world collectively condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Organizations have had to adapt their schedules accordingly. With more pressing matters on the table, especially for Ukrainian players, it is unknown when many competitions will be back.
