The topic of the main Dota 2 tournament is becoming the strongest one as summer is coming. Last year, The International was delayed in Stockholm indefinitely. It is planned now that the competition will traditionally be hosted in August. However, it is still unknown if Valve can carry out the tournament. Even if they manage it, how big are the chances that The International 10 will stay in Sweden?
Why will The International 10 happen?
Valve has confirmed on its blog that the tournament will probably take place in August. The company was unable to determine the exact dates because it is difficult to evaluate the level of restrictions for mass events now. The decision to host the event is one of the main factors that TI 10 will exist this year. Only the situation with the virus in the world can make problems.
COVID-19 is still undefeated. Mass events are strictly limited everywhere for this reason. However, there is a row of positive news, which can make a positive impact on the World Championship:
- Mass vaccination has started. There are the vaccines in the world already but a bunch of the new ones is on the way;
- The world learned to live during the pandemic over the past year, so the experience of prevention and virus protection has significantly improved. Even crowded places are well-equipped to reduce the risks to get infected;
- Sweden is way more loyal to restrictions, having become one of the countries to refuse the quarantine;
- The DPC season has started in a new format. Valve would not have started the championship if The International had not been scheduled;
The first Major tournaments are hosted in the LAN format. This refers to not just Dota 2 but CS:GO too.
Where will the tournament be hosted?
Having found out that there are pretty enough factors, which favor the fact that The International will be hosted this year, now we only have to find out its location. Dota fans can face surprises here. A venue for the tournament might be changed for the same reasons related to mass events.
Sweden
Yes, TI 10 initially had to be hosted in Stockholm. Valve has confirmed this information on its blog. The city has the infrastructure, which is dedicated to the location of the tournament (the arena “Ericsson Globe”, which consists of 16 000 persons). Besides, Swedes did not follow the general path in the world, having eased the restrictions during the pandemic. It even did not introduce the quarantine. If the situation remains positive, there will be no doubt that Stockholm will be a venue for The International 10.
New Zealand
The head of Valve has recently declared the chance that the main Dota 2 tournament might be hosted in New Zealand. Gabe Newell himself has been living in this country for a long time, so he knows well about the situation with the coronavirus there. He has assumed that there are chances to host big competitions in New Zealand and they are growing day by day. Besides, many Valve employees are going to move there due to the absence of positive trends with COVID-19 in the USA. New Zealand deals with the pandemic really well. The disease statistics reflect this.
On top of that, the decisions made by the government in Sweden are questioned. The practice has shown that the desire to create herd immunity has led to increased mortality. It has made not the best impact in terms of finances. Probably, people in Stockholm will treat this problem more seriously. It will nullify the chances to host TI 10 there. This factor can favor New Zealand.
Southeast Asia
The countries of Southeast Asia can serve as an alternative. They also deal with the pandemic well. The first Major of the DPC season can be an argument. It will take place in Singapore from March 27 to April 4. The organizers have stated that this country is one of the safest places.
The conclusion
The chances that we will see The International this year are extremely high. Valve wants to host it in August as it has been planned. Even if there are issues with Stockholm, there will be other options. The tournament operators will support Valve to make the main competition of the year happen.
