The winners of the 2019 League of Legends World Championship are putting their hard-earned prize money to good use.
The LPL’s FunPlus Phoenix has donated over 2 million yuan ($288,000) to fight the coronavirus in Wuhan, China. The organization, head coach, players, and staff all contributed to provide support for victims of the deadly virus.
The donation will go toward materials such as medical protection and direct support for Wuhan, the People’s Daily revealed today on Weibo. Chinese multinational conglomerate Tencent, the company behind the LPL, has also donated 300 million yuan ($43 million) toward the cause.
As of yesterday, Chinese health officials have confirmed over 7,700 cases of the coronavirus in China, with more than 4,500 cases in Wuhan’s Hubei Province. The total death toll has risen to 170 and spread across 15 different other countries.
To try to stop the virus from spreading further, Chinese officials have put Wuhan on lockdown, preventing public transportation in and out of the city. A growing list of airlines has also canceled flights to and from China to stop the global spread of the outbreak.
Riot Games has also postponed week two of the LPL due to the coronavirus outbreak. “We have decided to postpone week 2 of the LPL until we can ensure the safety and health of our players and fans,” the LPL wrote on Twitter. “To our fans, we sincerely apologize that it has come to this and we will share any and all info as soon as we can.”
