The Chengdu Hunter release a statement about the Coronavirus outbreak that currently grips China. In the last 24-hours, the Guangzhou Charge and the Shanghai Dragons announced that they will temporarily relocate their players to South Korea over concerns of the virus. More announcements likely to come from Hangzhou Spark, who have yet to announce their plans.
The Chengdu Hunters announcement, however, was not news of relocation. Instead, they will extend their Chinese New Year Holiday and keep a close eye on players and staff health.
The Charge, the Spark and the Dragons are Chinese based teams, but all of them are mixed rosters. A relocation makes sense given the bulk of their support staff and players are from South Korea. A move will also be more logistically easy to fulfill, with only a few visas to apply for.
But the Hunter’s are a full Chinese team. It is hard to imagine what they may be feeling with the prospect of leaving their homeland behind during a national crisis.
In just over two weeks, the Shanghai Dragons have their first scheduled homestead in Shanghai which is likely to be moved or rescheduled (Feb.15-16). Other esports, like League of Legends, have also had to delay events due to the virus. It’s likely that an official announcement from the Overwatch League and Blizzard is likely to come very soon.
Further updates will be provided as the story develops.
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