Dota 2: Omega Esports banned from DPC SEA due to match-fixing
Team Smart Omega, otherwise known as Omega Esports, have been banned from competing in Valve Software-sponsored events and subsequently forfeited their spot in Division I of the league due to their "engagement in match-fixing activities".
Beyond the Summit, the organisers of the Southeast Asian regional league for the 2021-2022 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC), made the announcement on Tuesday (23 November) on its social media accounts.
Six current and former members of the Omega Esports organisation were named by Beyond the Summit in its announcement of the ban.
These include current players Prince "Prince" Daculan and Ryniel Keit "Zenki" Alvarez, coach Chris Ian Francis "CTY" Maldo, as well as former players Dave Hiro "Hiro" Miyata, Patt Piolo "Piolz" Dela Cruz, and Van Jerico "Van" Manalaysay.
An update on the SEA DPC teams competing in the upcoming 2021-2022 Winter Tour: pic.twitter.com/vtndhpdINP
— SEA DPC League (@SEADPCLeague) November 23, 2021
Three other players in the Omega Esports roster prior to the announcement of the ban, Ramz "Ramzi" Bayhaki, Lee "Forev" Sang-don, and Liew "Eren" Jun Jie, are apparently not involved in the incident.
The aforementioned players only joined the organisation in the past week and have since departed.
LFT as a coach or player willing to relocate
— Forev (@DotaFoREv) November 23, 2021
Execration, another Filipino team competing in Division I of the SEA DPC that signed Van earlier this month, was given permission by Beyond the Summit to fill the open spot on its roster vacated by the banned player and continue competing in the upcoming season.
With Omega Esports forfeiting its spot in Division I, they will be replaced by Division II team BOOM Esports, who finished in 7th place in the second tour of the previous season and were thus demoted to Division II for the upcoming season.
BOOM Esports' sudden promotion to Division I has also opened an additional slot in Division II, which will be filled through an additional open qualifier on 26 November.
Both Beyond the Summit and Dota 2 developer Valve have yet to reveal details on the match-fixing activities that resulted in Omega Esports being banned.
The 2021-2022 DPC season will be starting at the end of November and has been split into three Tours for the Fall, Winter, and Spring, with the regional leagues taking place from 29 November 2021 to 17 July 2022.
For more esports news updates, visit https://yhoo.it/YahooEsportsSEA and check out Yahoo Esports Southeast Asia’s Facebook page and Twitter, as well as our Gaming channel on YouTube.
