Top CS2 professionals, including karrigan, Aleksib, Snax, Snappi, Twistzz, and apEX, skipped the Blast Fall Finals media day in protest against Astralis due to its controversial use of an emergency substitute to participate in the event with newly signed cadiaN.
The Danish organization reportedly cited health concerns for invoking the emergency substitute, claiming that their former IGL, br0, was “unfit to play”in the event, as reported by HLTV. According to the tournament’s rule book, emergency substitutes are permitted for health-related issues but are evaluated by Blast on a “case by case basis.”
On September 17, when cadiaN’s signing was announced, br0’s agent, Fabian Broich, revealed that br0 was not experiencing any health issues and was “ready to perform.”
The deadline for roster submissions for the tournament was three weeks prior, meaning if Blast did not approve the emergency substitution, Astralis would have had to compete with br0 despite having signed a replacement.
After uncovering the questionable circumstances surrounding br0’s exclusion from the event, multiple CS2 professionals from various teams participating in the Fall Finals indicated online that they might also be “unfit”for the tournament’s media day on September 23.
I might be unfit for Blast Media tomorrow
— Dan Madesclaire (@Vitality_apEX) September 23, 2024
Many players followed through with the boycott, missing the Blast media day in protest. Teams like Team Liquid, FaZe Clan, NAVI, Team Falcons, and Team Vitality attended without some of their key players. Blast eventually canceled its media event with cadiaN, stating it was due to a “change of schedule.”
The protesting players issued an open letter expressing their views that the organizer’s actions regarding cadiaN were hypocritical, given their previous handling of emergency substitutions, and deemed it “exploitative”concerning player health issues.
“The second aspect we wish to address is our firm stance against the exploitation of mental and physical health issues to justify the allowance of an emergency substitute. Such matters should never be taken lightly,” the letter stated.
In a statement prior to media day, Blast announced they are “in the process”of obtaining more information from Astralis regarding the emergency substitution and will consider applying “sanctions/penalties”if deemed necessary.
It remains uncertain whether the protest will extend into the tournament and affect matches or the broadcast.
The whole situation surrounding Astralis is further complicated by cadiaN’s past with the current lineup, as two players previously attempted to oust the veteran IGL from his position on HEROIC’s roster.
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