On April 14th (Vietnam time), KeSPA officially announced the list of 10 players participating in the final selection round for the South Korean team for Asiad 2022. This list includes 5 members from T1 and 5 players from outside, including Kiin, Canyon, Chovy, Deft, and BeryL.
This is the first time Esports has the opportunity to compete for a medal at the Asian Games, thus, both KeSPA and the players have set their determination high. If they win the gold medal at this event, players of age like Faker and Deft (if selected)… will be able to avoid mandatory military service and continue their careers.
However, some fans in the LCK, especially T1 fans, are not entirely satisfied with the 10-player list from KeSPA. Although KeSPA has clearly stated that the selection results will be made public and the players will undergo strict processes, from training to tests, many T1 fans criticized KeSPA’s selection method. Some fans even contacted the association directly to question this issue. In their inquiries, one fan asked: “You emphasize that teamwork is the most important, so why do you think combining many players together will coordinate better than taking players from a single team?” This fan also believes that other candidates will put pressure on T1 players in the upcoming selection round.
Nevertheless, KeSPA has remained firm in defending its position. A representative of the association stated that the belief that a single team is strong enough is merely a personal perspective of fans and asserted that they would not change the selection process for Asiad 2022 for any reason.
In another development, Gen.G Esports announced that Ruler has voluntarily withdrawn from the selection round as he wants to focus more on training and coordinating with Lehends in preparation for Summer 2022. This action by Ruler has also sparked mixed opinions, with some LCK fans believing that the 2017 World Champion has been too cowardly or feels that he cannot compete, leading to his withdrawal.
According to the schedule announced by KeSPA, the 10 names on the list will gather on April 17 and have matches on April 22 and 23 against representatives from regions that have qualified for MSI 2022. The results will be reviewed and evaluated by the Committee before the final list of 6 players is announced.