The upcoming Dota 2 Major, The Chongqing Major is likely to ban Skem and Kuku for their racial comments a few weeks ago. The two players are in the midst of a controversy where they were found guilty of racist comments in-game. This racist comment was specifically targetted towards the Chinese community. With Dota 2 featuring a lot of Chinese players, it was not surprising to see them take offence at the same.
Over time, the issue gained momentum in the Chinese community. Teams, Players as well as the distributor, Perfect World chimed in demanding action from Valve. Valve’s response to the whole event was quite underwhelming for the majority of the Chinese fans. They issued a public statement reminding professional players of their conduct. Being in the limelight means that the players have to watch their behaviour and their public statements. They are influencers in the community and it is not right for them to set such racist examples.
So, rumor has it that the China organizers/govt involved in the Chongqing major are pushing a ban on Kuku and Skem from participating…
Will be interesting to see if/how valve step in.
— BTS Godz | aka Parker (@BTSGoDz) November 23, 2018
Godz tweeted out this piece of news and Eternalenvy basically confirmed it in a subsequent tweet.
It’s not a rumour. Skem n Kuku are most likely going to get banned. Personally don’t feel like they deserve such a harsh punishment if they don’t have malicious intent in what they have said
— EternaLEnVy (@EternaLEnVy1991) November 24, 2018
The Chinese community supports this decision
The Chinese community was slow in understanding what the term meant and how it was derogatory to them. However, the understanding quickly picked up the pace and so did the anger. No form of racism should be tolerated in esports and that is something everyone can easily agree on.
We don’t know if banning them from a Major is the right approach. With no prior precedent, it is understandable why fans want a much lighter punishment or just a warning for the players. However, a strict punishment will serve as a warning to the teams who can keep their players in check.
For now, we don’t have any official confirmation from Valve or the Chongqing Major. However, all things point to Skem and Kuku receiving a ban from the upcoming Major. The Chongqing Major will take place from 19th January till 27th January 2019.
