A Russian esports team was expelled from a tournament after one of its players drew a «Z» symbol in a game against a team including Ukrainian players, Yahoo News reported.
The incident occurred on Saturday during a Dota 2 qualifying game for the ESL One Stockholm Major, an elimination-style tournament that is set to run from May 20 to May 22 in Stockholm, Sweden.
The Russian team Virtus Pro (competing under the name Outsiders) was playing a semifinal match against Mind Games, a team that includes two Ukrainian players, according to Yahoo News.
During a break in the game, one of Virtus Pro’s players, Ivan «Pure» Moskalenko, appeared to draw the letter «Z» on the game’s minimap with a pink highlighter, Yahoo News reported.
A video of the incident was recorded and shared on social media. It shows Moskalenko’s pink pen drawing the «Z» in the left-hand corner before his teammates quickly scribble over it, Yahoo reported.
The «Z» has become a symbol of support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It was first spotted emblazoned on Russian military vehicles rolling into Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region two days before the war began.
In a video posted by Virtus Pro after the incident, Moskalenko said he drew the «Z» on the map «by accident.»
«There was a long pause in the game. The guys and I were talking and drawing on the minimap. When we realized what exactly my drawing turned out to be, we tried to cover it up,» Moskalenko said in the video.
«I didn’t mean to offend anyone, it hall happened by accident. Peace to all,» he added.
Moskalenko and the rest of Virtus Pro’s roster have all been disqualified from the ESL One Stockholm Major, Beyond The Summit Dota announced Saturday.
In a statement published on Saturday, Virtus Pro said they terminated Moskalenko’s contract but described the backlash of the incident as «shocking.»
«The severity of the punishment is shocking. Valve has a certain history of imposing disciplinary measures, but disqualifying the whole team from a DPC tournament based on a drawing on a minimap by single-player sets up a whole new precedent,» the statement said.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there have been a number of incidents involving Russian athletes making pro-war gestures.
Last month, for instance, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) banned Russian swimmer Evgeny Rylov from the sport after he was spotted attending a rally in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine.
During the rally, the 25-year-old swimmer appeared on stage wearing his Olympic medals and the «Z» symbol.
Elsewhere, in March, Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak wore the symbol on his chest during a podium ceremony at an event won by a Ukrainian athlete, while teenage kart racer Artem Severiukhin sparked outrage by displaying an apparent Nazi salute after winning a European championship race.
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