Valve has canceled in-person audience participation for The International 10, and now the company will only allow teams and essential personnel to be present during the event.
Valve confirmed that this decision was made to ensure the safety of all players and production staff attending the event and will initiate the refund process of all ticket sales.
“We wanted nothing more than to invite fans live to the event, but we can no longer do so in a way that allows us to prioritize the health and well-being of both viewers and attendees,” Valve said. “Those who buy tickets will be automatically given a full refund.”
This comes just one day after 10 Team Aster members, as well as multiple players from Invictus Gaming, tested positive for COVID-19 and took self-quarantine measures at their hotels in Bucharest, Romania. Valve noted that new local restrictions on COVID in Bucharest also played a role in this decision.
Originally, TI10 was to be held in Stockholm, Sweden, but in June event classification issues with the Swedish government and the Swedish Sports Federation caused Valve to delay the event and move it to Bucharest.
TI10 is still scheduled to kick off with the group stage on October 7. Valve has yet to reveal a full schedule, but the company has confirmed that the event will kick off as planned with no further delays.