stub BLAST Premier Bans Russian CS: GO Teams and Cancels CIS Event - Gaming.net
Connect with us

News

BLAST Premier Bans Russian CS: GO Teams and Cancels CIS Event

Updated on
blast premier bans russian cs: go teams

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, several esports tournaments were postponed or canceled. But BLAST Premier becomes the first organizer to ban Russian teams.

BLAST Premier, one of the biggest CS: GO leagues, has decided to ban all teams based out of Russia for upcoming events. BLAST also called off the CIS event, further preventing the participation of players from that region.

The organizers took to social media to convey their decision. BLAST stated that the CIS event does not feel “appropriate” at this time. The post went to apologize to the fans for the cancellation. As a result, the CIS region qualifier scheduled for March 25 has been canceled.

BLAST's post said that “Gaming and esports unites people from all races, countries, and beliefs. We hope the situation on the world stage reflects this as soon as possible.”

This decision comes after the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Since February 24, Russian forces have been invading various regions of the independent country. So far, hundreds of civilians and thousands of soldiers have been killed due to the “special military operation” under President Putin's orders.

Several popular players and teams are from Russia. In 2021, the Russian team Gambit Esports ended up second in the finals. Meanwhile, Virtus Pro is another popular Russian team that won't be a part of BLAST's tournament. We won't be seeing ForZe either.

BLAST Premier's announcement will have a major impact on the global Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene. However, teams that have Russian players and are based outside of Russia are still invited. For instance, Natus Vincere has three Russian players but is based out of Kyiv, Ukraine will be invited.

Natus Vincere's CS: GO pro Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev gave a heart-felt message for world peace last week at IEM Katowice 2022. He was quoted saying “all of us want peace for Ukraine and the whole world”. The esports player also made donations to the Ukrainian army.

Considering that the Ukraine-Russia conflict rages with each passing day, we might see some similar restrictions being imposed on Russian-based teams in the upcoming weeks.

You might also like: CS: GO Star ‘s1mple’ Makes Donations to the Ukrainian Army

Nitisha is an esports journalist and gaming enthusiast. When she's not punching the keyboard, you'll find her in Nuketown with the squad.