The US government now recognizes League of Legends players as professional athletes and will, therefore, allow them a Visa to compete in the game’s tournament.
Riot Games eSports Manager, Nick Allen, said that the decision was accomplished via a “lengthy process” in which the developer had to prove the game was a legitimate sport.
He said,
“So the United States government recognizes League of Legends pro players as professional athletes and award visas to essentially work in the United States under that title. This is groundbreaking for eSports; now we can start looking at international players when they come over. It’s a much easier process because they’re actually recognized by the government. This is a huge thing.”
“This was a lengthy process; we had a lot of people fighting for this. It wasn’t something that happened overnight.”
The League of Legends Season 3 World Championship takes place October 4 in California.
What do you think about players being able to receive a US Visa to compete in tournaments?
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