The International might change venue as Sweden refuses to recognize Dota 2 championships as elite sporting event

A change in venue might be on the horizon for this year's The International (TI), the world championship tournament for Dota 2.

Valve, TI organizer and game developer of Dota 2, said they kept working with Swedish officials after the event was postponed last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a statement in the Dota 2 website on Tuesday, however, the tournament did not qualify for exemptions received by elite sporting events.

"Despite previous reassurances,  we were informed two weeks ago that the Swedish Sports Federation had just voted not to accept esports into the sports federation," the statement read.

"We discovered our only remaining option was to ask Sweden's Minister of the Interior to reclassify The International - Dota 2 Championships as an elite sporting event. Our request was immediately denied."

Valve said that the lack of recognition would cause issues for participants in procuring entry visas or crossing the Swedish border.

They filed an appeal on June 9 and followed up on June 14 with a request to reconsider, but they said no solution has been offered.

"In light of the current political situation in Sweden, we have started looking for possible alternatives elsewhere in Europe to host the event this year, in case the Swedish government is unable to accommodate The International - Dota 2 Championships as planned," Valve said.

"We feel confident that in either instance we will have a solution that allows us to hold TI10 in Europe this year, and that we will be able to announce an updated plan in the very near future."

TI qualifiers will still push through starting on Wednesday, June 23. More information regarding the tournament will be announced on a later date.

—MGP, GMA News