While the statement came as a shock, Riot Games has come forward to explain its revised minimum legal age for playing in LEC.
Yesterday, in order to reveal the upcoming changes that are planned for the European League of Legends, Riot Games released an FAQ communicating the changes that the competition is expecting. While the new tie-breaker will be used to break ties during the regular season, it was another piece of information that caught the attention of the rest of the media. The blog post announced the adjustment of the minimum legal age to play in the LEC from 17 to 18 to “allow teams to unlock new partnerships”.
We will also implement a new rule starting in 2023 for the LEC. The minimum age requirement for any player participating in the LEC will now increase from 17 to 18 years old, to help unlock new sponsorship opportunities for teams. Teams will still be able to sign 17-year-old players, but will not be able to play them in the ECL until they are 18.
However, Maximilian Peter Schmidt, director of League of Legends Esports EMEA, announced in a tweet that the blog post was an old version, an error that must have caused many to gag especially on the issue of non-underage sponsors. It is not today that we will see Heineken or Winamax sponsoring a team of the ECL. The European league will maintain the current minimum age of 17 years for 2023.