LoL and Dota 2 Pro Events Canceled Due to Coronavirus Infection (Updated)

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LoL and Dota 2 Pro Events Canceled Due to Coronavirus Infection (Updated)

Update 2 (March 14, 1 p.m. ET): LCS has now suspended all LCS and Academy games, and the Spring Finals will be moved from Dallas to the league studios in Los Angeles.

Update (March 13, 2 p.m. ET): the LEC has now decided to suspend the spring season altogether.

Original article

Three more esports tournaments have been forced to change their plans due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak: the League of Legends Championship Series and the European Championship ( LEC) spring seasons have been suspended indefinitely, and the ESL One Dota 2 Major, scheduled for March 20-22 in Los Angeles, has been postponed.

Last week, LEC announced that the spring finals event would be held at its studios in Berlin rather than in Budapest, as originally planned, but at that time stated that it would still take place in front of a live audience. Earlier this week, they updated their plans to eliminate audience and press attendance for the remainder of the spring split, including the finals. As noted above, the season has been cancelled altogether.

The LCS had hoped to continue the spring season with games at the studios, but Commissioner Chris Greeley said in a Twitter update that the decision was made to shut down operations completely, including all LCS and Academy games. The spring finals will be held at LCS's studios in Los Angeles, rather than in Frisco, as had been planned.

ESL announced yesterday that the ESL Pro League Season 11 will go fully online, cancelling the ESL One Dota 2 Major that was scheduled to take place in Los Angeles. A rescheduling has not yet been announced, but information regarding ticket refunds will be forthcoming.

"We were very excited to host the first ever Dota 2 Major in Los Angeles, but the safety and well-being of our players, participants, coaches, talent, partners, and ESL crew comes first. We are working closely with Valve to determine a new time and location for Major. While we are deeply disappointed, we believe this outcome is in the best interest of all those who make such a great event possible.

A summary of esports conventions and other gaming events affected by the coronavirus outbreak can be found here.

For more information on Covid-19 coronavirus, visit the North American Centers for Disease Control, the European Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, or the World Health Organization.

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