Beastcoast withdrew from the ONE Esports Singapore Major due to COVID-19 concerns within the team a week ago, and the organization has released a public update on the status of the players and the internal protocols that went into the decision.
Initially, beastcoast pulled its Dota 2 roster from the Major because the team’s captain, Steven “StingeR” Vargas, was exposed to COVID-19 ahead of their flight to Singapore. Beastcoast clarified today that StingeR broke the mandatory 10-day quarantine at the team’s gaming house in the week leading up to the event.
“Unfortunately, in the days leading up to the team’s flight to Singapore, without the organization or other player’s knowledge, StingeR violated the quarantine, disregarding our agreed upon protocols and came into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID,” beastcoast said. “We are very disappointed in his actions and as a result, he will be fined in accordance with beastcoast policies.”
Although all five players recorded at least one negative COVID test, the organization decided to withdraw from the Major and keep the players isolated and monitor them to avoid any unnecessary risks.
This instance has also forced the team to re-evaluate its roster, exploring new options for the starting lineup and announcing it would be picking up a sixth player to help potentially avoid similar situations moving forward.
Regardless, the team has no plans to release StingeR ahead of the second season of the 2021 Dota Pro Circuit.
“Beastcoast is and always will be a player first organization,” beastcoast said. “While StingeR’s actions were very disappointing, we are focused on working with him to learn from these mistakes to become a better player and better leader.”
Despite missing the Major, beastcoast has already earned $30,000 and 500 DPC points for their first-place finish in season one. Thunder Predator has passed them in the race for a spot at The International with a top-six finish at the Major, but StingeR and his teammates are still in a strong position heading into season two of the South American regional league.
