The first ever South American Dota 2 Major is to be held in the capital city of Peru, Lima this year – the Lima Major. South American fans and players were very excited when it was confirmed on January 6 that a Dota 2 Major would be held in their country. But now everything is on the line.
At the moment there is a big protest movement in Peru against the president Dina Boluarte and violent clashes between the protesters and the police have been happening. The riots have left 42 people dead and the government has since declared a state of emergency. Now the Dota 2 Major, which was supposed to start on February 22, is in danger if the situation does not calm down quickly, which is unlikely.
Peru declares state of emergency
People have been taking to the streets for several weeks because Dina Boluarte was appointed president after former president Pedro Castillo was dismissed from office and arrested. He tried to dissolve Congress, which is illegal. However, people are not happy with the appointment of the new president either.
https://twitter.com/PKN2056/status/1613678639488421889
Since 2018, the country has had six presidents and after Castillo was arrested, his vice president was appointed to his post. However, she is from the same party and people don’t like that. However, she doesn’t want to resign, commenting, “The voices of some violent and radical groups are demanding my resignation and provoking chaos, disorder and destruction among the population.”
Aster qualifies first
Even before the state of emergency was declared, news broke that Team Aster was the first to qualify for the Lima Major. They defeated EHOME at the Dota Pro Circuit CN with a clear 2-0 score to secure a slot at the Lima Major 2023.
Team Aster was also one of the four last Teams of TI11
The Final Four of #TI11: Team Aster, Team Liquid, Team Secret, and Tundra Esports. pic.twitter.com/tiyGv6fVJ0
— DOTA 2 (@DOTA2) October 29, 2022
Knights and PSG.LGD are the next candidates to qualify for the Major with a record of 3-1. Knights, however, could face serious problems after being accused of cheating. According to reports, tournament organizer Perfect World has sent the evidence to Valve. The DPC 2023 Tour 1 in China runs from January 5 to February 3 and holds $205,000 in prize money. The top four teams will participate in the Lima Major, while the bottom two teams will be eliminated.
Lima Major in danger?
A state of emergency has been declared for 30 days. The province of Puno has imposed a curfew that prohibits citizens from being on the streets from 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. However, according to Peruvian citizens, the unrest has not yet affected Lima. News reports have also not mentioned any violence in the capital, aside from indirect incidents such as roadblocks.
pic.: Lima is a beautiful city in a troubled country
Beastcoast’s regional director also confirmed in a commentary that Lima is an “extremely safe place.” The declared state of emergency is said to be more precautionary and it was imposed a month ago. At the moment, we don’t know if Valve will host the major as planned or if the tournament will have to be cancelled.
It would be a hard blow for the fans, as the first tickets for the event were sold out within minutes and the demand was extremely high. But the safety of the fans and players definitely comes first. We’ll see if the situation in Peru can calm down in time, but hopefully the violent riots will come to an end quickly.
Image credit: Wikimedia.org CC + Federico flickr.com