Comeback CSGO LAN Forced Online Due to Increase in COVID Cases

ESL had hoped to bring back CS:GO LAN events in December with the IEM Global Challenge. The $500,000 tournament would feature the best CS:GO teams in action in Cologne, Germany. Several European countries have reintroduced restrictions due to a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus cases.

As a result, ESL has had to move the tournament online and will help teams find suitable facilities within Europe. 

IEM Global Challenge – LAN Event Canceled; Will Continue Online

CS:GO fans will have to wait for the return of LAN events. Image Credit: Intel Extreme Masters. 

ESL had announced the return of LAN events with the IEM Global Challenge in September. It would have been the first CS:GO LAN event in months and ESL hoped to bring back some sense of normalcy to the scene.

The tournament organizer has now canceled the LAN event and instead will host the event online. ESL will support the participating teams to find suitable accommodations in Europe where they can practice and compete in the online tournament. 

“As strong as our desire to take Counter-Strike competition back to where it needs to be, is our desire to protect the health, safety and well-being of our players, broadcast talent and ESL crew.” said ESL. 

This decision comes days after Germany announced new restrictions which would stay in place till November 30.

The number of German COVID-19 cases has seen a massive spike in the past few weeks. Image Credit: Wikipedia.

On October 28, German Chancellor, Angela Merkel announced a slate of measures to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, including the closure of bars, restaurants, and theaters. Hotels are no longer allowed to host tourists. 

With the new measures in place, organizing an event on the scale of the IEM Global Challenge would be a tough task for ESL. It is also not allowed under the new regulations. 

“In our estimation (which is fine to disagree with) it’s irresponsible at this stage to ask players to travel and we’re at a point where commitments to such a hotel booking have to be made, so we cannot delay the decision. The situation with team travel can go every which way in a few weeks with no chance to get other teams as backup, etc. Not an easy situation and certainly not one we’re enjoying,” Michal Blicharz said on Reddit. 

The IEM Global Challenge is scheduled to take place from December 15 to 20. FURIA and Heroic are the only confirmed teams so far thanks to their victories in IEM New York and DreamHack Open Fall respectively. 

Stay tuned to Unikrn for the latest esports news and updates. Put your esports knowledge to the test and take advantage of our Bet and Get offer today!

Source: https://news.unikrn.com/article/iem-global-challenge-lan-event-csgo-esports-cancelled-covid-n_rs?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=news