LCK updates COVID-19 guidelines: ‘The decision to participate is in the hands of the player’

The LCK has updated the COVID-19 infection match guidelines ahead of the 2022 Summer Split.

Providing some extra clarity, the South Korean league has given pro League of Legends players more of a say when it comes to participating in matches. 

If a player tests positive for COVID, they’re free to play online from a quarantine facility. If they’re well enough to compete, according to the guidelines, the “decision to participate is in the hands of the player.”

In a scenario when a player tests positive, referees will not be dispatched to quarantine facilities, but cameras and sound checks will be installed to “prevent cheating” of any kind. All uninfected players, presumably including teammates of a player that has come down with the virus, will be expected to play in the LCK Arena in Seoul, South Korea.

The new guidelines are as follows:

1. The decision to participate is in the hands of the player.
2. Infected players can participate in matches online from their quarantine facilities.
3. Referees will not be dispatched to quarantine facilities.
4. Cameras and sound checks will be installed to prevent cheating.
5. All uninfected players will play in the LCK Arena.

To coincide with these changes to the COVID guidelines, fans will be welcomed back to the LCK Arena. In the previous split, fans were unable to attend matches and were left to watch online. Though in the finals of the Spring Split, which was held in the Korea International Exhibition Center in April, fans were permitted to attend. They were able to watch the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center in May.

Related: LCK to broadcast 2022 Summer Split on YouTube

The 2022 LCK Summer Split kicks off today with matches between Kwangdong Freecs and Hanwha Life and NS RedForce and DRX. The league competition will be broadcast on both Twitch and YouTube.