The International in jeopardy - Sweden will not host the main tournament of the year
On the night of June 22, Valve released a statement regarding the future of The International. Most likely, Stockholm will not host the main Dota 2 major tournament of the year in 2021.
Back in 2019, Valve began active cooperation with the Swedish authorities in order to ensure a decent hosting of the anniversary tournament of The International series. However, the Swedish Sports Federation (SESF) has denied the status of esports and did not recognize it as official.
At the same time, earlier Stockholm Live and Visit Stockholm assured Valve representatives that the tournament would receive a special status and obtaining visas would not be a problem. Now this procedure is practically impracticable.
Valve contacted the Swedish Ministry of the Interior directly and asked to grant The International a special status, but were immediately refused. Then the company sent two requests (June 9 and June 14) to the Swedish Parliament, but no response was received there either.
The company is now looking to host the largest esports tournament elsewhere. Valve is still hoping to host the event in Europe.
Yuriy Sheremet – Expert in mobile gaming and esports among shooters and MOBA games.
At EGamersWorld, Yuriy, as in 2020 when he joined the portal, works with content, albeit with adjustments to his area of responsibility.