Dota 2’s The International 2023 champions, Team Spirit, have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the upcoming ESL One Kuala Lumpur tournament in December. Despite receiving a direct invitation to the event, the team has cited health concerns as the reason for their absence.
ESL confirmed Team Spirit’s withdrawal on November 9th, expressing their well wishes for a speedy recovery. As a result, the spot originally allocated to the TI champions has been transferred to the Western European qualifiers, which were deemed the most competitive region according to the organizer’s rankings.
Team Spirit had already expressed reservations about participating in the tournament, as they felt they were not yet ready to compete in Dota 2 following their recent triumph at The International. After a successful year culminating in their victory and securing the Aegis of Champions, the team had been looking forward to taking a break before the start of the 2024 competitive season.
Having won three tournaments in just six months, including the Riyadh Masters 2023 and DreamLeague S21, the players of Team Spirit were in need of some well-deserved rest. However, the scheduling of ESL One Kuala Lumpur posed a challenge for them in making a decision.
Initially, Team Spirit’s manager Dmitry “Korb3n” Belov had suggested the possibility of participating in the event with substitute players, although the exact number of stand-ins required was uncertain. Ultimately, the organization decided to prioritize the health and well-being of their players and opted to sit out of ESL One Kuala Lumpur.
The health concerns mentioned by Team Spirit may be related to fatigue and stress resulting from a lack of downtime and potential burnout. Despite their monumental victory at TI10, the team members have continued to actively pursue their careers without a break.
While there have been no public statements regarding retirement from the four core members of Team Spirit, it is clear that they are in need of some time to recharge and recuperate.
The open qualifiers for ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 are set to begin on November 12th, with the main event taking place in Malaysia on December 11th.
Source: DOTESPORTS
