China Cancels All Sports Events – Will It Affect the League of Legends World Championship?

If the initial lockdown and its consequences weren’t enough, China has prepared another set of limitations that will significantly affect the sporting world – including eSports. The General Administration of Sports has issued an order that cancels most of the sports events in the country.

The government believes that the spread of the coronavirus within the country has been contained, but China remains cautious about potential dangers from the outside.

Why It Matters for LoL

Riot has now become one of the most well-known game publishers in the world. It is considered an American company, thus the League of Legends is also being associated with the US. 

But Riot is just a subsidiary of a bigger holding company, Tencent. The latter is not an American corporation – it’s a gigantic Chinese conglomerate.

Tencent previously insisted that the 2020 Worlds was to be held in Shanghai, China. But based on the current state of things, the event is unlikely to happen, at least not how Tencent envisioned it. 

What Are the Possible Outcomes?

As of now, there haven’t been any official statements regarding the situation. It leads us to believe that either Tencent is trying to find a way around the new restrictions, or that the company is searching for a new place (outside of China, obviously) for the World Championship.

Some speculate that the event could still take place ‘under closed doors’, where there are no fans in the venues and all the teams would be isolated in one location. Others assume that it is likely that it will be postponed until further notice.

Conclusion

Ironically, even a sport that doesn’t specifically require players to be in the same physical location struggles with the realities of today’s world. There might be an unexpected development where the format of the 2020 World Championship gets changed, or the event might get canceled completely. 

Thankfully, the format of the LoL tournaments provides more room for improvisation and adaptation. Let’s hope Riot utilizes it.

Also, you can read E-sports in the USA Catches up to the Popularity of Hockey and Baseball.