As ESL Dota 2 confirmed today on Twitter, the next major tournament, the ESL One Los Angeles Dota 2 Major, has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus.
One of many events affected
The fear of COVID-19 is now slowly paralyzing the entire gaming and esports industry. As we reported earlier, several events have been canceled or postponed, including the League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational, which has been moved to July. Just yesterday, the E3 gaming show was completely canceled for fear of the virus spreading. Just one day later, the cancellation of one of the biggest Dota 2 tournaments is the next major setback for all gamers.
Yes, ESL and Valve Corporation announced this morning on Twitter that they will postpone the ESL One Los Angeles Dota 2 Major. The tweet mentions that due to the coronavirus and the new travel restrictions imposed by the US government, the tournament will not take place – for now. In the meantime, Valve and ESL will be working together to figure out a new date for the event.
Update on #ESLOne Los Angeles: pic.twitter.com/Nilxseh0Zq
— ESL Dota2 (@ESLDota2) March 12, 2020
The reasoning
The main reason for the delay is likely to be the new US entry regulations. President Trump announced on Wednesday that no Europeans would be allowed to enter the US for at least 30 days. The only exceptions are people from Great Britain and relatives of American citizens.
Since there have been severe restrictions on entry even before that and ESL had concerns about the coronavirus for some time, this new announcement may have given the final push for the delay. A lot of the teams were already facing some visa issues, a problem typical for most Dota 2 events, while others were looking for a stand-in.
There is no information yet about an alternate date but we will keep you informed as soon as there is any news. So far, the event is only postponed and a future date is still coming.
Update: Valve and ESL have confirmed to teams and casters that the Dota 2 Los Angeles Major will be fully cancelled, sources tell me https://t.co/BIKVkOEdE8
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) March 12, 2020
The 16 teams that qualified can now take an unexpected break and continue training for the next big event. Hopefully, it won't be canceled.
