The importance of procedural rigour: ESIC find team Astralis’ emergency substitution brought tournament into disrepute
While a ‘substitution’ is an unremarkable event in many sports, the ‘emergency substitution request’ made by team Astralis[1] in the BLAST Premier Fall Final caused quite a stir in the Counter-Strike 2 community. As a result of an investigation by the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC)[2], Astralis was found to have breached the ESIC Code of Conduct, required to forfeit their monetary reward, and faced an additional penalty of $15,000. This case highlights the lack of established process and certification in some aspects of high-level esports competitions that is perhaps present in other professional sport, while also being notable for the investigation and report produced by ESIC. This article reviews this recent interesting case:
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- Tags: Dispute Resolution | ESIC | Esports | Integrity | Investigations | Regulatory
Written by
Daniel Kozelko
Daniel practises from 39 Essex Chambers and has a particular interest in eSports issues.
He has significant experience in commercial and civil disputes. This includes assisting in multi-million pound contract and construction claims in the High Court, in arbitral proceedings, and appearing in the High Court on civil and regulatory disputes.
Daniel also has an interest in disciplinary proceedings, having worked on a number of matters for a variety of regulators. Daniel is an avid gamer, with a particular interest in MMORPGs, grand strategy, and FPSs. He looks forward to bringing his gaming knowledge to eSports and video game disputes.
