25/06/2021 The Swedish Esports Association has confirmed that TI10 will definitely no longer take place in Stockholm, Sweden
Dota 2 developer Valve is currently searching for an alternative location to host The International 10 due to a "political situation" in the tournament's host nation of Sweden. TI10 was set to take place in Stockholm's Avicii Arena in early August, but with just six weeks until the event is set to begin, the hunt is on for a new city to play host.
In a statement, Valve says that earlier this month it learned the Swedish Sports Confederation had ruled against adding esports to its list of recognised sports, despite assurances from bodies such as Stockholm Live and Visit Stockholm that TI10 would be classified as a sporting event. However, the Confederation's ruling means that it is not.
Valve then attempted to convince Sweden's Minister of the Interior to reclassify the tournament, but its request was denied. All of this means that anyone involved in TI10 - including staff, players, and talent - wouldn't be able to get the sporting visas necessary to travel to Sweden for the event.
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