Valve released a blog post today updating the community regarding the process of hosting The International 10. Due to the political situation in Sweden, The International will most likely not be held in Stockholm this year.
In the post, Valve outlined their process of working with the Swedish government in order to secure visas for players. However, Valve was informed that the Swedish Sports Federation voted to not recognize esports as part of the sports organization. Valve attempted to appeal directly to the Swedish government but were unable to find a solution. Players, broadcast talent and staff would not be able to secure a visa for the event because of this. In light of the situation, Valve announced that they are actively looking for alternative locations in order to host The International this year.
“We have started looking for possible alternatives elsewhere in Europe to host the event this year, in case the Swedish government is unable to accommodate The International – Dota 2 Championships as planned,” the announcement said. “We feel confident that in either instance we will have a solution that allows us to hold TI10 in Europe this year, and that we will be able to announce an updated plan in the very near future.”
The dates for the event are still in place
Jonathan “Loda” Berg, the CEO and co-owner of Alliance, one of the best DOTA 2 teams and is located in Sweden, expressed his displeasure on Twitter.
“Incredibly disappointing to see that Sweden is not doing what it needs to do to host the biggest esports event in the world,” he said. “The government obviously can’t grasp what they are losing out on here. Now you know why our government literally lost the vote of confidence today!”
Incredibly disappointing to see that Sweden is not doing what it needs to do to host the biggest esports event in the world.
The government obviously can’t grasp what they are losing out on here. Now you know why our government literally lost the vote of confidence today! https://t.co/Vilu5Y5u9S
— Jonathan “Loda” Berg (@LodaBerg) June 21, 2021
The regional qualifiers for the event will continue as planned, starting on June 23, according to Valve’s statement. The International 10 is still set to move forward on Aug. 5, as the top teams in the world battle it out for a share of the over $40 million prize pool.
