1win's official position on ESL's decision to withdraw the team from ESL One Birmingham 2024
On the morning of April 9, ESL released an official statement denying 1win's Dota 2 team from participating in ESL One Birmingham 2024. In its statement, the tournament operator claims that the squad was late in processing their visas. 1win, the company that has taken it upon itself to take care of these young players, wants to shine a light on the situation and talk about it from its side.
Here are a few points:
First. Qualification for ESL One Birmingham 2024 for the Eastern Europe region took place from January 26 to 28. We started preparing to apply for visas the very next day after the qualifications were completed.
Second. On February 15, after collecting documents, receiving the invitation from ESL in final form and fulfilling other conditions, players and staff arrived in Moscow and applied at the consulate.
Third. ESL designated a deadline for the submission of visa data until April 5 inclusive. The deadline for a decision on the British visa is six weeks. On March 28, the decision was to be announced.
Fourth. On March 27, the British Consulate contacted ESL for further confirmation of 1win's participation in the upcoming tournament. According to the assurances of the consul and the representative of the TO, the connection broke down during the conversation, and that was the end of the dialog at that point. Only a week later the British side was able to receive final confirmation of 1win's participation.
Fifth. On April 5, ESL extended the deadline to April 8, 12:00 CET.
1win received confirmation of Timur Ahilles Kulmukhambetov's visa on the evening of the 5th at 20:00 CET and immediately notified ESL.
On April 8 morning our visa agent asked ESL to delay the deadline until the evening or the next morning as the visas are ready but not yet printed.
It is important to keep in mind that ESL's final deadline fell on a weekend during which no official consulate is open. We are grateful to ESL for the extra time, but please keep this fact in mind - the allotted deadline was not enough. Not because of 1win or ESL, but because of bureaucratic rules.
April 8, 11:55 CET — we inform ESL that there is a response and ask for time until the evening to provide confirmation.
April 8, 13:13 CET — ESL asks to provide confirmation. We asked for a couple more hours, but were ready to provide a completed coach visa. Given that we were applying as a group, the rest of the visas were on their way ready.
April 8, 14:19 CET — we are notified of our exclusion from the tournament.
April 8, 16:00 CET — we received our visas.
Now all players and staff have visas in their hands, dated April 8, 2024.
Unfortunately, according to ESL rules, we didn't meet the deadline. The players spent a huge amount of effort on qualification, the organization provided them with full support, the media team prepared to fly to the tournament with the guys to create content. However, we will miss it because of a mere trifle measured in four hours. Keep cheering for us in the upcoming tournaments where we will surely qualify and participate directly.