Visa issues sees Clutch Gamers and CDEC unable to attend the Summit 7

Two teams are unable to attend the seventh edition of the Dota 2 Summit in Los Angeles after multiple attempts to acquire visas were unsuccessful.

Clutch Gamers, who are based out of the Philippines, and China’s CDEC are the two rosters in question. While no replacement for Clutch Gamers has been announced, CDEC’s tournament slot was given to LGD, who placed second in the tournament’s Chinese qualifiers.

Clutch Gamers made two attempts at securing P-1 athlete visas for their players, and were denied on both occasions, according to a post on the team’s Facebook page. The message ended with a plea towards tournament organizers based out of the U.S. to help players from the Philippines by supplying them with additional paperwork ahead of the visa process.

Visa issues have proven to be a persistent issue in Dota 2’s competitive circuit: With a large contingent of teams being based out of countries such as China, Russia, and the Philippines, multiple teams have experienced tremendous issues in securing visas to the U.S. in the past.

Additional concerns surrounding Dota 2 competitions in the U.S. were raised following the proposed travel ban by U.S. president Donald Trump on Jan. 27 this year. Several established Dota 2 pros, such as Omar “w33” Aliwi and Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi, would more than likely be denied entrance into the U.S. if it had gone into effect—a concern that was shared by Valve CEO Gabe Newell, at the time.

The seventh iteration of the Dota 2 Summit will be taking place between June 14 to 18, meaning Clutch Gamers’ spot will most likely not be filled by a Southeast Asian squad.