VCT EMEA Challengers matches delayed amid Russian military action in Ukraine

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, the matches of the 3rd week of the VCT EMEA Stage 1 Challengers have been suspended, with Russian and Ukrainian players participating in the competition.

If you follow any international news, you could not miss this international upheaval. Russia launched this Thursday the invasion of its neighbor Ukraine, sponsored by President Vladimir Putin, and in these difficult times, esport may well take a back seat. Among the VCT EMEA Stage 1 Challengers on VALORANT, there are 13 Russian players as well as two Ukrainians. For this reason, Riot Games has decided to postpone the third week of the competition, which was supposed to start on January 25, as announced on Twitter.

After careful consideration, we have decided to postpone VCT EMEA Week 3 games. Our community’s welfare is integral to us and at this time, our number one priority is to support the players, casters, staff and fans affected by the escalating crisis in Ukraine.

— VALORANT Champions Tour EMEA (@valesports_emea) February 24, 2022

Within these Challengers, some of the teams involved are composed of Russian and Ukrainian players. These are Natus Vincere, FunPlus Phoenix and Gambit Esports. The 15 players involved still make up 25% of the overall tournament roster, and it would be somewhat difficult to ask them to play at this time, when they and their families are in the middle of this military conflict.

These Challengers are not cancelled, however, just postponed. Riot Games has stated that an announcement will be made regarding a potential resumption date for the Challengers as soon as possible, but as they don't know how the situation in Ukraine will evolve, no one can say for sure at this time.

The 2022 Masters 1, which will again be held in Reykjavik, will start on April 10. The EMEA Challengers were scheduled to end on March 27. If they are rescheduled, some games could therefore be played on days when the calendar is free however, it is not known when this dispute will be concluded but as Riot said, it is obvious that the well-being and lives of the players and the various people involved come well before esport and competitions, even major ones.