ESFI releases an official statement addressing Moin Aijaz’s allegations – Moin Aijaz is a DOTA 2 player and the captain of the Indian team that won the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Esports Championship 2022. In a recent Facebook post, he alleges that ESFI is forcing the representative Indian team to play with the same roster till the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou.
He also goes on to say that the current team was not made aware of this fact earlier. Now they have been asked to represent India in all upcoming tournaments (like the World Esports Championship 2022 in Bali, Indonesia) till the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou. It is a long one-year period as the Asian Games will begin on Sept. 23, 2023.
Moin said that it is not fair for anyone playing DOTA 2 in India. He feels that everyone should have an equal opportunity to participate in every event. Moreover, he also claims that DOTA 2 is a dynamic game and a single team might not be in top form throughout the year.
ESFI’s official statement addressing Moin Aijaz’s allegations
In it, they express that these allegations are completely baseless and have occurred due to a “lack of understanding of the fair working of the selection process for any international tournaments where countries are represented.”
The organization considers India’s bronze medal victory in DOTA 2 at the Commonwealth Esports Championship a “giant leap.” According to them, this medal can be the foundation that can help India perform better in Asian Games.
Such results can help ESFI’s efforts of making “esports legitimate, recognized as a sport and also attract sponsorships, investments, and avenues for every esports athlete.”
ESFI Official statement in regards to DOTA2 Team & Claims made.https://t.co/30tLqOzway#statement #dota2 #esports #indianesports #sports pic.twitter.com/yhYbKVyUYj
— Esports Federation of India (@esfindia) August 31, 2022
When it comes to playing with a fixed team until Asian Games, ESFI also mentioned that the selection process had already started in April 2022. They also feel it is unfortunate that the Championship dates have changed due to pandemic concerns. But, the participating team members’ names cannot be changed, as per the guidelines that are already in place. Only under unavoidable conditions will the respective authorities approve this process.
ESFI feels that sending the same team to multiple events like Commonwealth Esports Championship and 14th WEC will help the team prepare better for “all kinds of eventualities.” The exposure will help the team members to gain experience and be mentally prepared so that they can perform their best at big tournaments.
ESFI also mentions that these guidelines are also applicable to other teams/players who are participating in games like League of Legends, Hearthstone, FIFA, and Streetfighter. As the Asian Games is not a private event and is governed by principal of sports, the organization expects all stakeholders to appreciate, respect, and follow them.
