On June 22, Valve announced that The International 10 Dota 2 with a high degree of probability will not be held in Sweden. The reason for the postponement is that the Swedish government did not consider the tournament an elite sporting event, so it refused to assist the organizers and participants in obtaining visas. Valve has already announced that it is looking for a new site in Europe, and Cybersport.ru has suggested what the future holds for TI10 and where the championship can be hosted if it does take place this year.
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50% – the tournament will be postponed
The postponement of The International 10 to next year is the most undesirable, but it seems to be the most likely scenario. Yes, Valve has already announced that it is looking for a new platform in Europe, but let’s be frank – the Dota 2 developers have never been famous for their quickness or the ability to quickly solve complex problems in a short time. The joke about “Valve time” has never been so hot.
Published by Valve, reports of problems with the tournament in Stockholm are very similar to an excuse to fans and an attempt to shift the responsibility to the intractable Swedish government. From the outside, it seems that the company wants to reduce reputational risks and is gradually preparing the community for other, even less pleasant announcements.
Can you find a way out of this situation? I would like to believe that Valve is now really looking for another location and is trying to organize everything in a new place, but what are the chances of doing everything before August? Even the contractors for the majors were chosen by the company a few months before the The International 2018 I planned to go to Vancouver almost a year before the event.
Until Valve decides on a venue, players will not be able to start applying for visas, which means delays are inevitable. The likelihood of another postponement of the World Cup is very high. Another question is whether the tournament has been postponed by a couple of months or will it be postponed until 2023?
Image: Reddit, u / ChemicalAlia
25% – Germany or Romania
In this situation, there are two countries that seem to be the most likely candidates to host the temporarily homeless Dota 2 World Cup. Germany has long established itself as a reliable playground for esports events. It is here, in Cologne, that the first tournament of The International series was held and will begin very soon IEM Cologne 2023 – the first LAN in CS: GO after the protracted “online era”. Looks symbolic, doesn’t it?
Germany has the necessary infrastructure to organize tournaments of any level and scale. Another plus is that the country has a fairly stable situation with the coronavirus. The authorities openly declare that they do not expect a new wave of infections in the near future, and German Health Minister Jens Spahn proposed a week ago to gradually cancel the mandatory mask regime.
In the issue of issuing e-sports visas, Germany is also an example for other countries. It has already approved a list of tournaments, players of which can receive travel documents under a simplified program. I would like to believe that there should be no problems with visas for The International 10 participants either. By the way, the German Esports Federation has already announced its readiness to host the tournament.
Only Romania, another country with a rich esports history, can argue with Germany for the venue. In Romania, the situation with the coronavirus has also relatively stabilized, and the main office of PGL is located in Bucharest, the favorite contractor of Valve, which has already held dozens of official Dota 2 and CS: GO tournaments, including majors and minors. If Valve will rely on anyone in this situation, it will only be on a trusted partner with extensive experience.
Cologne | Image: funart.pro
15% – Ukraine
Ukraine may well become one of the contenders to host The International 10, and there are several reasons for this. First of all, only recently in Kiev took place WePlay AniMajor 2023, which was attended by almost all top teams, including TI10 participants, without any visa problems. Yes, there were some difficulties with tickets for players from China, but they were quickly resolved by organizing a private flight.
Now in Ukraine, the situation with coronavirus is relatively stable: in the last week, from 500 to a thousand cases of infection are registered per day with a tendency to decrease. No foci of infection have been recorded, and the country is preparing to gradually return to the “green zone”. At the same time, quite loyal quarantine restrictions are in place for tourists and visitors.
Ukraine seems to be an interesting option also because PGL has already conducted The Kiev Major 2017, has contacts with partners and subcontractors. If necessary, you can ask for help from colleagues from Ukrainian studios. WePlay representatives have already announced that they are ready to partially or fully host The International 10 on their site WePlay Esports Arena Kyiv…
Scene WePlay AniMajor 2023 | Source: WePlay
5% – France
Considering other locations in Europe for The International 10, France is worth mentioning. In the past, this country rarely hosted Dota 2 tournaments – you can only recall MDL Disneyland Paris Major, but other disciplines often come here. For example, in May in Paris, the World Championship was held in an open area. Six Invitational 2023 Rainbow Six Siege with 20 teams from all over the world. Ubisoft and ESL were able to negotiate with the French government to allow esports players to come, even with limited air traffic to some countries. That is, these companies have succeeded in doing what Valve could not have achieved in Stockholm.
Palais Brongniart Venue, Six Invitational 2023 | Image: twitter.com/itsmeerror
5% – Russia
Hosting The International 10 in Russia is also an option, although less likely than in the case of Ukraine or France. This is due to the current outbreak of coronavirus and the incomprehensible consequences that it may entail. Perhaps the situation will improve in the near future, or perhaps the government will decide to play it safe and extend the imposed restrictions.
One of the advantages of this option is the presence in Russia of an experienced contractor in the person of Epic Esports Events, who knows how to work on large venues and has already held a tournament in cooperation with Valve EPICENTER Major 2019… EEE representatives have already assured that if the developers decide to transfer The International 10 to Russia, Moscow will be able to host the championship on the previously appointed dates, providing the teams and staff with everything necessary for a comfortable tournament.
Stage of EPICENTER Major 2019 | Image: Epicenter.gg
?% – Poland
As far as Poland is concerned, the famous Spodek Arena has a long track record of hosted ESL and Intel Extreme Masters esports tournaments, but it is difficult to say if the arena will be able to host any guests any time soon. Despite the improvement in the situation with the coronavirus pandemic, the Polish government is in no hurry to loosen restrictions on public events. At the same Spodek Arena, several summer concerts have already been canceled, and the next events are scheduled only for September-October.
Spodek Arena | Image: Wikimedia
Another variant
On social networks, the opinion is gaining popularity that Valve should not be limited to Europe, but look for a new venue for The International 10 around the world. Some say the tournament should be held in China, where local authorities can provide the necessary support to the organizers. Other fans believe it is time for Valve to return the event to Seattle so that the company can provide a better quality of the event, having direct control over everything. Perhaps Valve will do so if the tournament has to be postponed until 2023.
