While Canyon will now have to play the rest of the tournament online, the Korean team confirmed via Twitter that the rest of the lineup had tested negative and, as such, would carry on as planned.

?”Kim ‘Canyon’ Gun-bu from DWG KIA has tested positive for COVID-19 during his stay for Worlds,” the tweet said.? ?

“The rest of the team members tested negative. Canyon will be participating in Worlds online.? ?

“We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for understanding. We will prioritize Canyon’s speedy recovery and make sure our performance at Worlds will not be shaken.”?

?Riot Games previously released a health policy that made provision for players who had tested positive but felt well enough to play. According to the policy, the player would be allowed to compete online in an isolated area separate to that of their teammates and other squads.? ?

In cases where the player is unwell enough to opt out of the competition, the affected team would be allowed to bring in a substitute. However, if the player managed to test negative before the start of their match, they would be allowed to compete in person with the rest of the squad.?

?DWG KIA��s announcement came four hours after EDward Gaming made a similar revelation. The Chinese team��s mid-laner, Lee “Scout” Ye-chan, tested positive for COVID after a second PCR test was carried out. He will join other gamers to play remotely while in isolation.?

?A recent post by the general manager of G2 Esports, Romain Bigeard, revealed that the last time players and staff at Worlds 2022 were tested for COVID-19 was on October 11.?

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“In following how the pandemic has been developing globally, the recent increase in the unpredictability of COVID-19 means we can��t yet commit to new dates for TI10 and the DPC,” read the announcement released on Tuesday.

“We share your eagerness in returning to these events, and will announce updates as soon as we can.”

Valve cancelled both?OGA Dota PIT Minor 2020 and EPICENTER Major 2020 earlier in the year, while the DPC was put on hold for the foreseeable future. Two months later, Valve?moved the date of The International – which is traditionally hosted in August – to sometime in 2021.

The 10th anniversary of TI was initially slated to be hosted in Stockholm, Sweden. While the organisers have not implied any change of venue or format, it’s impossible to say what the future will hold.

Meanwhile, Riot Games are proceeding with plans to host the 2020 League of Legends World Championship in Shanghai, China, from September 25 to October 31. That could serve as an example for Valve to figure out if hosting TI10 in an isolated hub is a real possibility, or whether waiting out the pandemic is the only safe option.

Even though TI10 has been postponed, its Battle Pass is still live. Just like any year before, the Dota2 community has shown immense support for Valve’s MOBA title by setting TI10 up for another record-breaking prize pool.

Back on May 28, only three days after Battle Pass was released, the TI10 prize pool had already reached US $9,958,846. As of August 25, the total kitty sits at?$34,289,322, meaning it has almost exceeded the TI9 figure of?$34,330,068. The current prize pool is also 7% larger than it was at this stage last year ($32,042,024) and a 44.5% increase compared to 2018 ($23,722,304).

While Dota 2 fans wait for the official TI and DPC dates, Dota2’s official Twitter channel has started sharing highlights from previous iterations of The International. The #TIMoments posts will continue to pop up on the Dota2’s account over the next week, reminding everyone what they can look forward to come 2021.

The announcement surfaced Thursday on the LCK Global Twitter page, citing the safety of everyone involved as the main factor that contributed to the shift in format.

“The 2020 Woori Bank LoL Champions Korea (LCK) Summer, which has been held without an audience to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and secure the safety of league members, has decided to switch to online matches starting on Friday, August 21,” read the announcement.

Up to now, LCK fixtures were held at LoL Park, where strict safety guidelines have been in place since February. All gear used by the players was disinfected after each match, while access to the venue was limited to only the players, coaches, referees and broadcasters.

However, the recent resurgence of COVID-19 in Seoul has forced LCK organisers to raise distancing guidelines to level two, meaning live play at the venue is no longer an option.

From this Friday until the LCK 2020 Summer grand finals on Saturday, September 5, all teams will have to play their matches from home or the team’s training bases. In order to help with the transition and keep competitive integrity intact, the league will send referees and operating personnel to “carry out smooth and fair game”.

“Field personnel will be dispatched with a safety checklist, including temperature measurement, usage of masks and regular use of hand sanitizer before entering the team’s accommodation.”

The broadcast team, which will keep working from LoL Park, will be subjected to the same safety checklist, whereas the analyst desk will be suspended until further notice.

The first match of the LCK 2020 Summer regular season that will see the new rules in place will be the clash between two teams that are already out of the race for playoffs in SANDBOX Gaming and Hanwha Life Esports, who will meet on Friday at 17:00 KST.

Seoul has 2,495 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 135 new positives reported on Thursday, while the number of cases in South Korea rose to 16,346 with another 288 appearing nationwide. China, however, reported only seven new cases on the mainland this Wednesday, which is a promising sign for the upcoming League of Legends World Championship in Shanghai.