Riot is moving the League of Legends’ World Championship 2021 from China to Europe, citing concerns over COVID. In a video, the global head of esports at Riot Games, John Needham, announced the decision to move the competition from China to Europe because COVID protocols and travel restrictions might cause some players and teams to be unable to attend the event in China.
“Riot esports will always maintain the competitive integrity of our sport,” Needham said. “A Worlds where a handful of qualified teams and possibly more wouldn’t be able to compete with their full rosters felt very compromised.”
According to a report from Upcomer, production teams at Riot ran into difficulties securing travel to China, and this decision was made recently. Some teams looking to qualify for Worlds were still attempting to secure travel visas as recently as Friday. Worlds was set to be a multi-city tournament, spanning multiple Chinese cities.
Needham said that while Worlds will take place in Europe, the exact location has not yet been determined. He said that the primary factor will be the ability to have as many players and teams that qualify to attend as possible.
The League of Legends World Championship does not yet have any announced dates either. The 2020 Championship was held in China without fans, except for the Grand Finals, which accommodated a small crowd. Needham apologized to the Chinese League of Legends community in the video, saying that Riot is planning on still holding viewing events in China for the World Championship, although no details were provided.
Source: Gamespot
