The PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024 recently took place in Copenhagen, which became very tense in the political part. According to cybersports journalist Richard Lewis, the Danish government put a lot of pressure on the organizers of the event because of the participation of Russian players.
Danish Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt made a strong statement against the participation of Russian athletes in international sport:
As long as Russia continues its illegal war in Ukraine, I don't think Russian athletes should be allowed to participate in international competitions. Even though it is a Romanian tournament organizer, I want to encourage them to ban Russian participation. I also want to heavily encourage Royal Arena to be more critical when deciding what they want to host.Jakob Engel-Schmidt, Denmark's culture minister, told the Danish publication Berlingske.
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Organizers were instructed to avoid any content that could be identified as supporting Russia. This included a ban on mentioning Russia on the broadcasts, not using the teams' national flags and a ban on mentioning politically sensitive topics. Such directives sparked discussions about the intersection of politics and esports, a field traditionally known for its inclusiveness and global reach.
Insiders tell us that the directives were so strict that even discussion of unrelated incidents in Russia during the tournament was banned to avoid any perceived political message. This situation underscores the complex challenges facing esports as it grows in global prominence and political significance.
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