A Racist and Offensive Team Name Causes Uproar in Valve’s Kiev Major Qualifiers
A team participating in one of the open qualifiers for Valve’s upcoming Kiev Major used a racist name that also made light of the Holocaust. The team, known as the “Holocaust N******,” managed to progress through the first five rounds of the second European open qualifier without anyone noticing the offensive name. However, when Valve Major champion and OG team captain Tal “Fly” Aizik tweeted a screenshot of the team’s name, it quickly sparked outrage on Twitter and Reddit.
The open qualifiers are open to anyone, and the identity of the players is not clear, aside from the nicknames they used during the match. Unfortunately, the team was eliminated in the fifth round of the qualifiers after losing to a stack led by well-known Dota 2 streamer Mohammed “Attacker” Almheiri.
The qualifiers are organized and managed by third-party matchmaking provider FaceIt, which has rules in place prohibiting the use of offensive player or team names. However, the team is registered under the abbreviation “HCN” on the FaceIt platform, as shown on the qualifier’s bracket page. The full racially insensitive name chosen by the team is actually assigned within Valve’s own Dota 2 client, which FaceIt’s rules do not cover.
This incident has raised concerns about offensive and inappropriate behavior in esports tournaments and the need for stricter regulations to prevent such incidents from happening in the future. It serves as a reminder that it is important for players and teams to maintain respect and professionalism within the gaming community.
Keywords: Valve’s Kiev Major, open qualifiers, racist team name, Holocaust, Dota 2, Tal “Fly” Aizik, Twitter, Reddit, FaceIt, regulations, esports tournaments
