Valve moves Dota 2 International to Romania, adds mask-and-vax rules
Valve announced this week that its prestigious Dota 2 tournament The International will require all attendees to be fully masked and vaccinated for entry.
As noted on the Dota 2 site, anyone attending the October competition at the National Arena in Bucharest, Romania, must be at least 10 days out from their final vaccination, and attendees will need to present proof of inoculation (which must be in either English or Romanian) along with a photo ID to gain access to the event grounds and tournament arena. All attendees must also wear a mask and proof-of-vaccination wristband along with their registration badges. Additional safety protocols will be put into place throughout the tournament.
Now in its 10th year, The International gathers the best Dota 2 teams from around the globe to compete for a multimillion-dollar prize pool. But over the past year, Valve has not had an easy time with COVID-related restrictions for its annual tournament. The company's initial plans to hold The International 10 in Stockholm were scrapped earlier this summer after the Swedish Sports Federation decided not to include esports in its officially recognized body-a move that meant anyone traveling for the tournament would be denied an entry visa.
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