The World Esports Association (WESA) Introduces Measures to Prevent Conflicts of Interest
The World Esports Association (WESA) plans to implement new measures to prevent conflicts of interest among its member teams. WESA is an association formed in 2016, consisting of seven major esports organizations from Europe. Its mission is to create a professional competitive environment and support its member teams through player representation and revenue sharing from sanctioned tournaments.
According to WESA commissioner Ken Hershman, the association is committed to establishing industry-wide standards in esports that benefit member teams, players, and the esports industry as a whole. In a statement released on March 14, Hershman mentioned the importance of these standards.
The primary focus of these standards is to address conflicts of interest, specifically related to multi-team ownership. WESA has faced allegations in the past due to its relationship with ESForce Holdings, the parent company of Virtus Pro, which also owns Na`Vi’s media rights.
WESA’s announcement clearly states that no team can be fully or partially owned or controlled by an individual or entity that owns or controls another esports team participating in WESA sanctioned events. This means that ESForce’s ownership of Virtus Pro, the Brazilian SK Gaming roster, and Na`Vi’s media rights will be subject to scrutiny. Teams with multiple CS:GO divisions will have up to 18 months to find new owners to resolve any conflict of interest, while they must operate independently during this transition period.
WESA member teams are expected to follow a new code of conduct that lays down rules for behavior and conduct within WESA and with external parties. This implies that member teams may need to consult the WESA code of conduct before making certain decisions.
Additionally, WESA has introduced sanction regulations to establish clear rules and methods for imposing sanctions, including the permitted scope and an appeal process. However, the specific details of these sanctions and the process itself have not been disclosed in the news release.
It remains to be seen how these changes will impact the current member teams of WESA.