Intel Extreme Masters announced on Twitter that IEM Katowice will continue despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ESL will continue to monitor the situation, but as of now, nothing about the incident has changed.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed Russian troops to begin invading Ukraine. The geopolitical implications of the war extend far and include esports professionals affected by the conflict. Concerns in the esports community have led ESL to reaffirm that IEM Katowice will continue as planned for now.
“Our current priority is to support players and staff who may be affected [by the situation in Ukraine],” the statement said. Although the tournament is held in Katowice, Poland, most of the participating players and ESL staff are directly or indirectly affected by the ongoing geopolitical situation. On the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive side of the event, four of the remaining six teams (Gambit Esports, Natus Vincere, G2 Esports and Virtus.pro) have players from Russia and/or Ukraine. Na'Vi, headquartered in Kiev, recently released its own statements. The Ukrainian organization states that their main focus is “trying to stay calm; to take care of ourselves, our loved ones, and those who need help.” While there aren't any players from Russia or Ukraine competing on the StarCraft 2 side of IEM Katowice, a cancellation will likely affect both CS:GO and SC2. The CS:GO playoffs are scheduled to take place in front of a live audience at the Spodek arena in Katowice from February 25-27. The SC2 group stage and playoffs will take place from February 24-27.