Yatoro and Mira banned by Ukrainian Esports Federation
Recently, there were multiple reports Ukrainian Esports Federation banning The International 2021 Champions, Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk and Myroslav "Mira" Kolpakov. Esports and politics are subjects that often do not collide with each other. However, in this rare case, it does, and the players got banned for playing alongside Russian players. Due to their ban, the players, Yatoro and Mira, are sanctioned from playing in tournaments hosted by UESF heron. Their travelling privileges to other countries are prohibited as long as martial law is in effect. The players can’t represent Ukraine in international tournaments as long as the ban is in effect. Yatoro and Mira are also not the only players banned from representing Ukraine. Several CS: GO players got banned too.
Team Spirit’s Situation
Team Spirit won The Riyadh Masters, the tournament with a massive prize pool thus far in the year. The ban came because most of Team Spirit’s players are from Russia. Yataro and Mira are the only Ukrainian players in the team. The team nor the players have yet to release a statement regarding the ban. On the other hand, Team Spirit made an ethical decision and has moved operations to Serbia since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They have been operating from Serbia for over a year now.
Ukraine has been under martial law since the Russian invasion. If Yataro and Mira were to return to Ukraine under these circumstances, it would have dire consequences on their professional Dota 2 careers. They have a hard time leaving the country again, and the players could also get accused of dodging drafts. The players have not revealed where they are currently residing at this moment.
Could it impact Team Spirit?
The report came days after Team Spirit's victorious run at The Riyadh Masters. This ban could throw Spirit’s players off their focus for some time. Unfortunately, this is not the first time a tragedy has derailed Team Spirit’s focus at the tournament.
In The International 2022, Team Spirit were the defending champions, but due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the players were affected psychologically. The invasion caused Spirit to get mediocre results in the tournament. Eventually, Team Spirit got eliminated in the early stages of playoffs.
Team Spirit are currently slowly getting back to their form. They bested Team Liquid at The Riyadh Masters 2023. The team also qualified for The International 2023. Spirit will participate in the upcoming BetBoom Dacha tournament before their return at TI 12. With their recent performance, all the eyes are on Team Spirit despite them being the underdogs.
Featured Image Source: Twitter/@Team_Spirit