Ukraine-based tournament organizer WePlay announced Friday that it will pause activities related to the WePlay Academy League due to the ongoing war with Russia. In a statement posted Friday WePlay said that after six successful seasons, multiple events and two LAN finals at the WePlay Esports Arena Kyiv, it is halting further activities out of abundance of caution and concerns for safety. If you are unfamiliar with the WePlay Academy League, it serves as a platform for young Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players to grow and gain experience—sort of a minor league for CS:GO pros.
“Today, we have to announce that the WePlay Academy League project is on pause until the end of the full-scale war in Ukraine,” the company wrote in a statement. “The experience of the recent seasons has shown that in the present situation, there are no proper conditions that would allow us to hold the next seasons of the tournament to the standard we set since Season 1. As before, the safety of our staff and all tournament participants is our top priority. This decision was agreed upon with all participating organizations.”
WePlay added that it is not saying “goodbye to the WePlay Academy League,” but only “see you soon.”
You can read the entire statement here.
On 24 Feb. 24, 2022, Russia invaded and occupied parts of Ukraine, but the hostilities go back to 2014 when it annexed Crimea from Ukraine and supported separatists fighting the Ukrainian military in the Donbas region. As a result Russia has faced international sanctions from the European Union, the UK, the United States, and many other countries throughout the world.