Cover Image Courtesy: u/carbo_N - Byteside | Thumbnail Image Courtesy: Byteside
It was really disappointing to hear that IEM Katowice 2020 will be played in an empty Spodek Arena without an audience due to coronavirus concerns, but Michal Blicharz - VP Pro Gaming at ESL went ahead and executed a plan made by Shaun Clark and Adrian from ESL Poland, ‘going to all the bars in Katowice showing IEM and gave out free stuff to the people,’ according to a Reddit post by u/carbo_N.
Blicharz himself commented on the post saying that this idea was not his and he doesn’t want to become the face of someone else’s good idea. He further suggested that the OP change the title of the post to “ESL went and did xyz…”
Image Credit: Reddit
Unfortunately, the title of any post on Reddit cannot be edited once posted. A lot of other users commented on the post appreciating ESL for their efforts to make the best out of a bad situation.
Despite the tournament being canceled for attendees, ESL has gone out of its way to give back to the community as much as they could. Earlier, Blicharz responded to a fan post that had gone viral on Reddit, offering to take the fan out for a meal after he expressed his disappointment on missing out on the tournament.
This is the first time in the history of IEM that the tournament is being played without any audience. Coronavirus has affected esports across various titles, especially in countries within Asia. With the grand finals all set to take place tonight between Na’Vi and G2 Esports in Katowice, it will be interesting to see which team walks out and lifts the trophy in an empty Spodek Arena.
