After Los Angeles Gladiators DPS Kim “Birdring” Ji-hyeok collapsed live on yesterday’s Overwatch League broadcast, the organization’s director of operations Brenda Suh confirmed that the pro is “doing okay” and attributed the collapse to dehydration and a drop in blood pressure.
Suh said Birdring was immediately evaluated following the incident and the diagnosis was dizziness from orthostatic hypotension, or a drop in blood pressure that happens when standing up from sitting or lying down.
This lines up with what the team and Birdring said last night, stating that he just felt very dizzy after standing up too quickly. Suh also stated that the team is not downplaying the situation, but that this a common issue for someone who is dehydrated.
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Suh also confirmed the team’s constant medical supervision, saying that the entire team has had weekly check-ins with medical staff and “daily monitoring for a week now.” Similarly, Birdring will be monitored on a map-to-map basis to ensure he is feeling well enough to continue playing.
As of now, there has been no change made to the Gladiators’ starting roster and Birdring should be playing as per usual. There are currently no plans to limit his time on the lineup, although it is “liable to change,” according to Suh.
