The Southeast Asian eSports organisation, Omega Esports was recently banned by Valve Corporation to participate in all Valve events, which includes the upcoming Southeast Asia Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2021-2022. The announcement was made by the organiser of Southeast Asia Dota Pro Circuit, Beyond the Summit.
An update on the SEA DPC teams competing in the upcoming 2021-2022 Winter Tour: pic.twitter.com/vtndhpdINP
— SEA DPC League (@SEADPCLeague) November 23, 2021
The official news came after Team Smart Omega were caught for match-fixing activities. This means that Omega Esports has forfeited their spot in Division 1 and allowed BOOM Esports to take up the slot. BOOM Esports finished seventh place last year and was due for relegation to Division 2.
Six Filipino players were named in the banlist:
- Prince “Prince” Daculan
- Ryniel Keit “Zenki” Alvarez
- Dave Hiro “Hiro” Miyata
- Patt Piolo “Piolz” Dela Cruz
- Van Jerico “Van” Manalaysay
- Chris Ian Francis “CTY” Maldo (coach)
At the time of announcement, there were three players in Omega Esports roster which were not in the banlist:
- Ramz “Ramzi” Bayhaki
- Lee “Forev” Sang-don
- Liew “Eren” Jun Jie
It seems that the filipino players were involved in the illegal activities between August 2021 and November 2021 as the former roster was formed in August 2021. The three new players only joined after Van, Hiro and Piolz left the organisation between 14 November 2021 and 20 November 2021. With the current situation, Ramzi, Forev and Eren were currently left without a team.
It is not known how Omega Esports were discovered of the match-fixing and Valve has not revealed any further details of the situation. Match-fixing is common in many Esports games, especially when high stakes are involved. The Dota tournament has the highest prize pool and boasts a record total of USD $40 million in The International 2021. The game is also a very popular title where Esports betting is prominent for most Dota tournaments. Players could be lured to easy money if they are not very well educated or poorly paid.
Omega Esports has issued a statement that they have not received any official news from the Beyond The Summit and they will conduct an investigation into this matter.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT pic.twitter.com/3wJ5cnTVEW
— Omega Esports #OneShotOmega (@OmegaEsportsPH) November 24, 2021
Van who was signed by Team Execration earlier in November would not be able to continue with his team after being given the ban notice. As a result, Team Execration was given an exception to replace Van. This would allow Team Execration to complete their roster and compete in the upcoming Dota Pro Circuit. The Southeast Asia Dota Pro Circuit is scheduled to begin in 29 November 2021.