- The Kiev AniMajor in Dota 2 was in peril as Chinese teams had difficulties because of new EU travel policies
- WePlay Esports quickly started looking for a solution in order to save the event
- In the end, it was decided that a private flight will fly the teams to the EU and back
WePlay Esports quickly adapted and prevented the AniMajor from being ruined by travel policies.
A Travel Problem Arose, As Usual
Travel issues seem to be a staple when it comes to big global esports tournaments. Not too long ago, the Singaporean Major had several teams drop out because of concerns with COVID and visas. The upcoming Dota 2 AniMajor in Kiev now has its turn.
The climactic Dota Pro Circuit event was in peril because all of the Chinese teams found trouble with their flights. It turns out the European airspace has undergone various changes that voided the professional players' return tickets.
If the worst had come to worst, we might have seen the AniMajor played in reduced numbers. However, this isn't going o happen as WePlay, the organization behind the tournament, was quick to react even with the limited time at hand. The organizers quickly arranged a private flight that will take the Chinese teams to the event in Kiev and later flies them back to China.
The Dota 2 community started referring to this flight as “Tiny Airlines” in reference to the giant stone hero.
The four teams that will be traveling “using Tiny Airlines' services” are the following:
- Invictus Gaming
- Team Aster
- PSG.LGD
- Vici Gaming
Everyone in the Dota 2 community can give credit to WePlay for arranging everything in a timely manner and avoiding a crisis.
The Upcoming Major and Other Competitions
With the end of the regular DPC season, the AniMajor is quickly approaching. The event begins on June 2 in the arena at WePlay's headquarters in Kiev. The action will continue for a week and a half until June 13. It will have a hefty prize pool of half a million dollars and will distribute 2700 DPC points among the best-performing teams.
Until the start of the WePlay AniMajor, esports enthusiasts can fill up their Dota 2 needs by watching the currently ongoing BTS Pro Season 6. It will meet eight teams in America and Southeast Asia each and will have a total prize pool of $100,000, split in half among the two regions.
