The International 10 - Dota 2 Championships Moves to Romania
The International under Creative Commons
One of the world’s most significant eSports events is the International 10 - Dota 2 Championships. It’s due to take place from October 7-17, with players from all over the world taking part. However, all roads do not lead to Sweden this year. Instead, the event will be held in Bucharest, Romania.
All eSports fans will be counting down the days to the battle for the Aegis of Champions. The event has been moved from Sweden due to the ongoing pandemic.
It had been hoped that the event would qualify for exemptions that have been given to other top sporting events held in Sweden. There are still some who don’t see eSports as something that should be in a sports federation. That was the decision made by the Swedish Sports Federation, which decided in its wisdom not to accept eSports as a member. Attempts were made to get Sweden’s Minister of the Interior to reclassify the Dota 2 Championships as an elite sporting event. However, those moves came to nothing.
The lack of support meant those trying to get a visa to attend the championships would be denied. That included those who are taking part and the staff. An unsuccessful appeal was made, and finally, the decision was made to move the event to Romania.
A great tournament is still going to take place, though, at the Arena Nationala. That’s the largest stadium in Romania, and holding the Dota 2 Championships there shows just what great strides eSports has taken in recent years. It opened in 2011 and has a 55,364 capacity.
The pandemic may have caused the International to be canceled last year, but that was a minor blip for eSports. With major sporting leagues being suspended, eSports had the chance to build on its already growing popularity. Suddenly, we were seeing live online coverage of eSports events giving the events a much wider audience.
The rise of eSports also attracted the attention of the gambling industry. They were hit hard by the lack of sporting events last year. Bookmakers had been keeping a close eye on eSports and had been testing the water to see if it was something they could start covering.
2021 has seen that interest continue to increase. The number of sportsbooks covering top eSports tournaments continues to rise. Odds will be available on the International 10: Dota 2 Championships, and if you’re interested in placing a bet, you can find a list of American bookmakers here.
October 7 is when the Group Stage will take place. That will be followed by the Main Stage section, which begins on the 12th. Play will continue until October 17, when the top two Dota 2 teams in the world will be battling it out for the Aegis.
Another sign of what big business eSports has become is the prize money available for the Dota 2 Championships. There is a staggering $40,018.95 prize pool for this event. That’s a big increase in the prize money that was up for grabs at the 2019 event. People thought the $34 million was great; now, it’s another $6 million higher. It surely won’t be too long before a $50 million prize fund is reached.
Players at the 2018 The International – photo under Creative Commons
It was ten years ago that the International was first held at Gamescom. It was an event held to promote the game and proved to be a great success. It’s been held every year since then, apart from in 2020 due to the pandemic. Eighteen teams take part, with 12 making it due to their performances on the Dota Pro Circuit. The others play in qualifying playoff brackets that take place all over the world, all hoping they will lift the Aegis of Champions trophy.
If you can’t make it to Bucharest in October, don’t worry because there will be extensive coverage of the event. Twitch will be one place to go to for live coverage of the top matches. There’ll be lots of other coverage, too, with analysis galore, predictions, and interviews with the top players. Keep an eye on the official Dota 2 news channel for more information as it is released.
There’ll be ever-changing odds available, too, as you can bet on events as they happen. Sweden’s loss is Bucharest’s gain. Perhaps if this event is hugely successful, Sweden might change its attitude towards eSports and once again stage the championships. Until then, roll on October and a feast of eSports in Bucharest.
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