Danish minister wants to ban Russians from major Counter-Strike event — RT World News
Danish Culture Minister Jacob Engel-Schmidt said that Russian e-sports athletes should be excluded from the Counter-Strike 2 competition, currently being held in Copenhagen, citing the conflict in Ukraine.
He added: “As long as Russia continues its illegal war of aggression in Ukraine, I do not believe that Russian athletes should be allowed to participate in international sports. This of course also applies to eSports.” Engel Schmidt told the Berlingske newspaper on Tuesday.
According to Berlingske, 18 Russian players from five different teams are participating in the PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen2024.
The event, organized by Romanian esports company PGL, will run until March 31, with the final scheduled to take place at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen.
He added: “Although the organizer is Romanian, I encourage them to exclude Russian participation.” The Danish Minister of Culture said. “I would also strongly urge Royal Arena to be more critical in terms of what they host.”
Among the participants is the Spirit team, which includes Russian and Ukrainian players. The team's headquarters was moved from Moscow to the Serbian capital, Belgrade, after Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia has been banned from participating in many international sporting events since February 2022, although in some cases athletes from Russia have been allowed to participate in their individual capacities.
The International Olympic Committee announced on Tuesday that up to 55 “neutral athletes” from Russia will be allowed to participate in the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. The International Olympic Committee said they would be banned from attending the opening ceremony.
Ukraine supported the ban on Russians, arguing that Moscow was using its athletes and artists for propaganda purposes. Meanwhile, Russian officials refused “politicization” From sports. Stanislav Pozdnyakov, President of the Russian Olympic Committee, described the IOC's actions as… “Discriminatory.”
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