Visa Issues Cause Stand-ins for Teams in Dota Pro Circuit’s Spring Tour Major
Valve recently confirmed that teams from Eastern Europe would be able to compete in the Dota Pro Circuit’s Spring Tour Major. However, it seems that several teams will have to play with substitute players due to visa issues preventing certain players from traveling to Stockholm.
Among the teams facing these issues is OG, the top team from Western Europe. OG’s captain, Misha, is unable to attend the Major due to visa complications. As a result, two-time International Champion Ceb is expected to stand in for him, as stated by Maincast Dota 2 analyst and commentator, Alexey “Storm” Tumanov.
The exact reason for Misha’s visa problems is unclear, but it might be related to his Russian citizenship. Storm also mentioned that OG’s coach, Evgenii “Chuvash” Makarov, might also miss the competition. This suggests that the issue could be more about Sweden’s policy on Russian citizens entering the country, rather than Misha’s visa specifically.
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With this setback for the team, OG is turning to Ceb once again to play in another Major. Ceb, a former TI-winner, previously played for OG at TI 10, where the team finished tied for seventh before retiring from competitive play and transitioning into a new role within the organization.
OG is not the only team facing this problem. Mind Games will also have to compete without two of its core players, Danil “Bignum” Shekhovtsov and Semion “CemaTheSlayer” Krivulya.
The reasons behind both players’ inability to attend the Major are once again uncertain. However, it is likely related to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the country’s policy that prohibits male citizens aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. As a result, PuckChamp support players, Genadiy “Astral” Motuz and Andrey “Dukalis” Kuropatkin, will step in for Mind Games during the Major, according to the team’s offlaner, Uladzislau “Petushara” Kazlouski.
This may not be the last stand-in announcement for the Major, which takes place from May 12 to 22, as teams are finalizing their plans and making their way to Sweden to compete.
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