At the end of July, PGL revealed two main requirements that were needed to be able to host the CS:GO Major in Stockholm. Now, one of the two obstacles has been removed, as Sweden has eased travel restrictions for Esports players coming into the country.
“I am glad that this decision now opens up the possibility of holding international Esports events even during the pandemic. Sweden has long been a leader in Esports, which is a position we must preserve,” Swden’s Minister for Culture and Democracy, Amanda Lind, said.
Sweden always had an exception in place for athletes who were “taking part in or performing necessary tasks at international elite sports competitions,” within Sweden. But unfortunately, Esports was not recognized as an international elite sports competition by the Swedish government, which led to a huge uproar within the CS:GO community. As a result of this, the Mayor of Stockholm, Anna König Jerlmyr wrote a letter to Minister of Sports and Minister of the Interior, in support of hosting the CS:GO Major in Sweden.
The Minister of sports ended up inviting PGL and Valve for a meeting, and came forward to reveal the two important requirements. With the first obstacle now removed, the restrictions currently in place for indoor events are the only thing preventing the Major to be held in Sweden. PGL hopes that the indoor restrictions are lifted by 15th September.
PGL Major is set to run from October 23 to November 7, featuring 24 strong CS:GO teams from all over the world.
