Beastcoast, Na’Vi Withdraw from Singapore Major

Looks like the ONE Esports Singapore Major is on a downward spiral.

After six players from five different teams were replaced due to COVID-19, beastcoast and Natus Vincere (Na’Vi) already pulled out from Singapore Major due to the coronavirus and travel concerns.

Beastcoast announced that they will not be present in the Singapore Major after Steven “StingeR” Vargas was exposed to someone with COVID-19 and still had contact with four other players.

While all the players tested negative, beastcoast decided to opt out of the competition due to the virus’ incubation period.

“Because of the incubation period of COVID-19, we cannot be certain if our players are positive or not before flying to Singapore,” beastcoast said in a statement.

Just an hour later, Na’Vi also announced that they will also pull out from the event as team’s coach Andrey “Mag” Chipenko tested positive. Mag was set to stand-in for ALWAYSWANNAFLY, who also tested positive for the virus.

While the team cited COVID-19 as their primary reason, travel concerns also sprung up. Na’Vi said they cannot afford to be quarantined in Singapore should one player test positive because they won’t be able to make it in time for the DPC season.

“The tournament operator assured us that the policy in Singapore regarding COVID is as follows. If at least one player has COVID-19 on arrival, everyone will have to self-quarantine. In this case, NAVI will not be able to participate in the Major, even if the complete roster is in Singapore. At the same time, it is not clear how long the possible quarantine will last. It’s possible that players would not return in time for the start of the DPC season,” the team said in a statement.

Beastcoast qualified directly to the Singapore Major playoffs after their podium finish it the OGA Dota PIT South American DPC League, while Natus Vincere was qualified for the group stage.

Their withdrawal from the Singapore Major will definitely affect their chances of making it to The International 10. The DOTA Pro Circuit will only feature two majors this season, with only eight teams from each that could earn qualifying points to The International.

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