Recently, JackeyLove made comments regarding Top Esports’ journey at EWC 2024. Specifically for the League of Legends segment, despite being a top-tier team, TES did not receive the treatment befitting their reputation. JackeyLove stated that the entire team was only provided economy class tickets by the event organizers, and TES had to pay out of pocket to upgrade to business class. The 2018 World Champion also noted that other teams faced similar issues but chose not to speak out. This incident sparked controversy but inadvertently helped EWC 2024 gain more attention.
However, according to recent information from the League of Legends community in China, while players like JackeyLove have to voice their complaints, the DOTA 2 players are fully sponsored with business class tickets by the EWC 2024 organizers.
This is easily explained. Specifically, the host country of EWC 2024 is Saudi Arabia, which has a strong interest in DOTA 2. Nigma Galaxy – one of the most powerful Esports organizations in the world, is headquartered in the UAE. Notably, Nigma Galaxy’s DOTA 2 team boasts legendary names like Kuroky and Miracle-. Meanwhile, in League of Legends, Nigma Galaxy is also building its reputation and recently signed Vietnamese marksman Slayder.
It can be said that if LoL is not yet truly strong in Saudi Arabia, then DOTA 2 has built its reputation for a long time and is even a source of pride for the still-young Esports scene of the “oil-rich” nation. Therefore, it is entirely understandable that DOTA 2 teams receive preferential treatment.