WESG confirms Chinese government ban of Dota player Kuku

Implications continue to unfurl following TNC Predator captain Carlo “Kuku” Palad’s involvement in a racial controversy last year.

Kuku is in the middle of another career shakeup following his use of a racial slur in a public Dota 2 game. The slur and the ensuing controversy resulted in a ban from the Chongqing Major.

Kuku took a break from the professional scene following the scandal. After the Chongqing Major, he returned to play with TNC in the following Dota Pro Circuit major and minor qualifiers.

TNC showed underwhelming results and failed to qualify for either DreamLeague Season 11 or the StarLadder ImbaTV event. And this was not the end in what has become a series of setbacks for the organization.

Recently, tournament organizer WESG released a statement detailing that Kuku will not be allowed to enter Chongqing City to participate in the WESG tournament. This is the result of a request by the city’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security.

The tournament organizers emphasized that this is a final decision, as they are expected to comply with the instructions of the local government.

Valve was quick to attempt an explanation following the initial allegations of a government ban. The develop claimed there was no official player ban communicated by the Chinese government. WESG’s explanation runs counter to that, causing fans to question whether Valve was telling the truth in their attempted explanation.

WESG is not a DPC tournament.

Fans have raised concerns following this announcement, particularly given that the next edition of The International is set to be held in China. The government’s involvement could establish a dangerous precedent for the esports community as a whole.

TNC did not release a statement regarding this latest issue, but the team did change their social media profile to include a picture of a broken phoenix.