‘Overwatch’ League Cancels Live Events; Coronavirus Pandemic Hits ESports
Not even the ESports world is safe from the coronavirus.
The Overwatch League announced Wednesday it will cancel all live events in March and April due to fears of the coronavirus outbreak. Spectator events were due to take place in locations around the world, — including in Boston, Toronto, London, Paris and elsewhere — but Overwatch decided to heed authorities’ calls to slow the spread of the pandemic by postponing or cancelling large gatherings of people.
“We are continuing to closely monitor COVID-19 (coronavirus), city-level recommendations and mandates, and all guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” the “Overwatch” League said via Twitter. “After careful review working in close collaboration with our teams, we are canceling all Overwatch League events scheduled for March and April.”
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) March 11, 2020
“Overwatch” League commissioner Pete Vlastelica later confirmed matches still will take place, just not in front of live audiences of thousands of people.
To be clear, we WILL be playing matches in March and April. We cancelled the events, not the matches (though we will have to move a few things around in the schedule to make this work). https://t.co/guxoTWLhMk
— Pete Vlastelica (@PeteVlastelica) March 11, 2020
Concerns over coronavirus have prompted the pausing, postponement or cancellation of sporting events near and far, including the Boston Marathon, The Masters, the NBA and NHL seasons and numerous other contests and competitions.
