Tournament organizer ESL has announced a ban on cybersports organizations «with ties to the Russian government», from participating in the upcoming season. They will be able to field their teams in the competition, but they will have to compete under a neutral name.
A joint statement from the organizers and partner teams of the ESL Pro League said that the decision will affect Virtus.pro and Gambit. They will not be able to participate in the upcoming Season 15, which runs from March 9 to April 10. The organizers justify their actions by the fact that Virtus.pro is owned by «SOGAZ Insurance Group», which is among the companies hit by the sanctions. Gambit is owned by the mobile operator MTS.
The organizers emphasize that the players representing the mentioned organizations are not involved in this conflict, so they will be able to participate, but their clothing or other materials must not mention the country, organization or team sponsors. Earlier on Tuesday, Virtus.pro had already faced the threat of disqualification from Dota2 competition for a similar reason. Virtus.pro has already stated its refusal to comply with these demands, but emphasized that it does not support the war.