EHOME at MarsTV Dota 2 League. Photo by MarsTV.
Cty, the mid player for the storied Chinese team EHOME, has been denied a U.S. visa just 14 days before he must travel to Seattle for TI5. EHOME’s manager, 71, has asked for help to get his player to the tournament.
This is yet another in a long string of visa issues that are jeopardizing the prospects of many teams competing at The International. Valve has communicated that they have been pulling all their strings to help Na’Vi support player Sonneiko obtain a visa for the event, and 71 likely hopes they will do the same for Cty. However, it is not yet certain whether Valve actually can do anything to persuade the US Embassy.
According to LGD’s business development consultant,
Embassy completely disregarded valve invitation letter during @EHOMECN visa interview
— Orrin Xu (@LGDnite) July 6, 2015
Xu’s allegation raises skepticism that the U.S. Embassy will be malleable on this issue. It also suggests that visa officers are undeterred by clear proof that pro players have a valid reason to be in the country temporarily.
Since Cty has never attended an International, he has not had to undergo this process previously. He began playing Dota 2 in late 2012, and was one of the founding members of Vici Gaming. He left VG in August 2013, and after stints at RisingStars and Hyper Glory Team, Cty was supposedly loaned to Ehome. Cty helped the team get invited to TI5 through the qualifiers, and he has subsequently been kept on indefinitely.
Source: 71 Weibo
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