Neslyn A. November 30, 2018
The issue of racism in Dota 2 continues to pervade as the Chinese government has allegedly banned two players from competing in a major tournament.
Dota 2 analyst Matthew "Cyborgmatt" Bailey confirmed that two Filipino players are barred from attending The Chongqing Major in China. Rolen Andrei Gabriel "Skemberlu" Ong and Carlo "Kuku" Palad were recently involved in a scandal for using racial slurs online.
The Chinese community was enraged at the two players for their insensitivity towards Chinese culture. They demanded a statement from Valve and expected the organization to implement rules regarding racism in the pro scene.
Skem’s racist remarks happened in an official tournament match against Chinese team Royal Never Give Up, while Kuku’s offense took place in a public game.
After the backlash, TNC Predator and compLexity both issued apologies and penalized their respective players. Valve also released an official statement that they would only step in if the player’s organizations failed to take appropriate action.
Skem was already benched by compLexity for a controversial statement at DreamLeague Season 10. Kuku was given a maximum penalty by his team, but will remain as the offlaner for TNC Predator.
TNC Predator detailed the disciplinary actions that Kuku will have to face.
Kuku will be fined 50% of his winnings from the Kuala Lumpur Major and 50% of his winnings from either the Chongqing or Bucharest events. The winnings will be donated to The International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR).
The Dota 2 community outside of China has been split in response to the bans, with many fearing that event organizers in China may take further discretionary action against targeted players and teams if Valve doesn’t step in.
Chongqing Major organizers StarLadder and ImbaTV have yet to comment on the proposed ban, and Valve has not yet spoken further on the issue.