ESL One Birmingham 2024 invite to OG is unfair? We take a look

Dota 2

April 13, 2024

Marcus Wong

The decision by ESL to extend an invitation to the Dota 2 team OG as a replacement for 1win in the upcoming ESL One Birmingham 2024 tournament has stirred criticism within the Dota 2 community, particularly those from Eastern Europe and China.

This decision has led to discussions about fairness, eligibility, and implications for competing teams. Considering this change in participants greatly affects the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) Leaderboard, many teams’ chances of qualifying for the Riyadh Masters 2024 are at stake. The dissatisfaction within these Dota 2 communities has been prominently voiced on social platforms, including Weibo and Telegram.

Sébastien “Ceb” Debs (Image Credits: Valve)

Recap of ESL’s Decision

In the initial announcement, ESL disclosed that the OG would be replacing 1win at the ESL One Birmingham 2024 due to the latter’s inability to assemble an eligible roster within the stipulated timeframe.

According to ESL, they had generously extended the deadline to April 8 in an attempt to accommodate 1win. However, complications with securing visas on time hindered 1win’s ability to meet the requirements. However, Timur “Ahilles” Kulmuhambetov, the coach of 1win, indicated that the team had all the necessary documents prepared by the deadline.

Yet, he did not clarify the precise timing of their visa approvals, leading to their disqualification from participation two weeks before the event, thus paving the way for OG’s inclusion.

Not the VISA curse 🥲 We’ve been there.

Thank you very much for the invite, sorry about the circumstances 🙏

— OG (@OGesports) April 9, 2024

Words from the Eastern European Dota 2 Community

The initial reaction from the Eastern European Dota 2 community was one of frustration and disappointment, directed primarily at 1win’s management for their failure to navigate the visa process efficiently.

Some community members expressed a negative view, suggesting that 1win’s participation might not even significantly alter the tournament’s outcome since they will just place last.

Amidst the criticism, Dmitry “Korb3n” Belov, the manager for Team Spirit, emerged as an advocate for a more supportive and understanding approach towards 1win. He criticized the community for its harsh stance and, instead, questioned the rationale behind ESL’s decision-making process, particularly the logic of setting such short deadlines.

The Chinese Community’s Words

Parallelly, the Chinese Dota 2 community harbored concerns that closely mirrored the general dissatisfaction but with a distinct focus on the implications for Chinese teams’ standing. They perceive the entry of OG into the ESL One Birmingham 2024 as a direct threat to the likelihood of Chinese teams qualifying for the Riyadh Masters 2024.

This also brought up the dialogue among Chinese fans reminding about past decisions where replacement slots were always allocated to Western European teams, raising questions about fairness and regional equity in ESL’s decision-making.

EPT Leaderboard (Image Credits: ESL)

As such, there is heavy debate revolving around the potential disruption OG’s participation could cause in the competitive EPT Leaderboard, especially considering OG’s current standing and its impact on other teams’ chances. Initially, OG should not have any shot at improving their standing anymore until the Riyadh Masters 2024 because ESL One Birmingham 2024 and DreamLeague S23 are the last events that they did qualify for.

However, OG being able to score more points now means the teams which are barely below OG’s standing, almost stood no chance of regaining their momentum. This situation has spurred a broader debate on the principles guiding team replacements and the need for a more equitable framework for tournament organizers to follow.