Federations Respond to World Esports Cup 2024 Safety Concerns

Last week, following an announcement from Esports Canada that the Women’s Counter-Strike 2 National Team application was live and open to the public (to ultimately participate in the World Esports Cup 2024 to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November), users on social media asked if the federation—part of the International Esports Federation—could guarantee the safety of participants that are transgender/gay.

Esports Canada Founder and CEO Melissa Burns offered the following public statement at the time:

“We’ve asked IESF to provide details about what measures and precautions will be in place to ensure the safety of our players. I’ve been told that an official release should be made available next week detailing their plans. I’ll also DM you with more details/context.”

Another tweet by Burns noted that:

“Canada has a travel advisory in place so participation is at the discretion of each player. Esports Canada cannot make any promises/guarantees but we’ve asked IESF to provide an official statement regarding the measures/precautions they will [put] in place for competitors at their event.”

The reaction to that message was not well received by the community, as noted in this Dust2Us report from March 12.

Seeing Esports Canada’s response to attendee safety concerns, The Esports Advocate reached out to every federation participating in the World Esports Cup 2024, as well as the organizer of the event, the International Esports Federation.

We asked all federations in the IESF the following questions in our request for comments:

• Do you guarantee the safety of participants in general?
• Do you allow gay/transgender esports athletes to compete in your region?
• What extra precautions are you as a federation taking to ensure the safety of your citizens being sent to Riyadh?

While a majority of these federations in the IESF ecosystem did not respond to our requests for comment, a handful did offer brief statements on the subject. Most important of all, the IESF issued a lengthy statement (which we have included in full below) on Tuesday noting that safety of participants is important to the organization and that it will provide guidance to players prior to the event so that they can be properly prepared.

First, the federations that did respond included the Iraqi Esports Federation, Qazaq Cybersport Federation, Israel Esports Federation, Slovak Esports Association, Alliance of Electronic Sports of Montenegro, and the Belgian Esports Federation.

The ESBD – eSport-Bund Deutschland e.V, Kyrgyzstan Computer Sports Federation, and Esport Danmark responded with automatic replies, noting that they had received our requests, but did not follow up with a response, as of this writing. A handful of listed contact information for some organizations within the IESF bounced.

From the Israeli Esports Federation:

Thank you for reaching out to the Israeli Esports Association (IESA) regarding our potential participation in the WEC 2024 event in Saudi Arabia. We appreciate your inquiry and the opportunity to address your concerns.

Regarding your inquiries:

1) Participation in the WEC 2024 event is subject to the fulfillment of several terms related to safety, security, and hospitality. As of now, discussions are ongoing with the organizers to ensure these essential conditions are met. Given the absence of diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, reaching consensus on these matters is crucial. We are actively engaged in ongoing discussions with the International Esports Federation (IESF) representatives to facilitate our potential involvement.

2) Ensuring the safety and well-being of our players is of utmost importance to the IESA. We have a robust track record of collaborating with relevant stakeholders within Israel and the host country to implement comprehensive safety measures for our participants.

3) As Riyadh is in Saudi Arabia, our participation in the event necessitates clearance from the Israeli Ministry of the Interior. We are diligently working with officials from various ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture and Sports, to establish necessary protocols and ensure seamless participation.

4) The selection process for the Israeli team is tailored to each game title. For CS2 and CS2 Woman, as well as DOTA2, dedicated selection committees are responsible for evaluating players’ achievements, skills, and history within the Esports community. Conversely, for MLBB, PUBG Mobile, and eFootball, a national qualification tournament will be held to determine the participating teams.

5) The IESA unequivocally supports the participation of LGBTQ+ Esports players in our events, including the IESF National Qualifiers. We do not discriminate based on sexual orientation and do not collect or inquire about such information during registration.

6) Regarding safety and security in Riyadh, we rely on the collaborative efforts of the IESA, IESF, and the Saudi Esports Federation to guarantee the safety of our delegation. We are prepared to adhere strictly to all protocols established by the relevant ministries and, if necessary, enlist additional security personnel to accompany our team.

7) The IESA holds the Saudi Esports Federation in high regard and eagerly anticipates Israeli participation in Riyadh. We firmly believe in the unifying power of Esports as a catalyst for peace and collaboration, particularly between Israel and the Arab world.

From the Slovak Esports Association:

Thanks for reaching out. We really appreciate your concerns and interest in our and our athletes safety.

According to the statement of our ministry of foreign affairs, Slovakia currently does not advise its citizens against traveling to Saudi Arabia.  

Do you guarantee the safety of participants  in general?

All our players and participants above the age of 18 are legally responsible for their actions, we as a federation can’t force them to act against their will and safeguard them against their own decisions, which means that there is no legal basis or mechanism based on which we can guarantee their safety – legally speaking (for example, someone can decide to go for a run stumble and fall into road traffic and end up with permanent or fatal injury, we can’t plausibly limit people’s choices in a way to prevent this from happening – as doing so would be violation of basic human rights). This being said however, we strive for the maximum safety and well being of our athletes, we consult with our diplomatic services both at home and on the missions abroad. It is the utmost duty of our onsite personnel to safeguard any potential safety hazards taking place on site.

Do you allow gay/transgender esports athletes to compete in your region?

We don’t limit participation of any athlete based on any other criteria than those that disqualify him [or her] on a basis of fair play like: previous instances of cheating, history of doping or unallowed substance abuse. For the full list of reasons for disqualification see our disciplinary codex on our website. So yes gay/transgender athletes are allowed to compete in competitions we sanction, please do note we don’t even collect information on athletes sexual orientation, or any transition process they did undergo (since we believe it violates their privacy).

What extra precautions are you as a federation taking to insure the safety of your citizens being sent to Riyadh?

We are taking the same level of precaution as we do on all standard world/european championship events. After our consultation with relevant authorities we don’t see any reason to engage in additional (non-standard) precaution measures once traveling to Riyadh. As always we have our greatest confidence in both [the] IESF team as well as the LOC of the championship to take all the necessary precautions that are a part of any single mass international event, regardless of the hosting country or city. Due to [a] proven track record and no history of problems with our athletes on all other previous events sanctioned by IESF we took part in, we have strong confidence in the event and its safety standards.

From Belgian Esports Federation Commissioner for National Teams and Competition Samy Bessi:

I am the Commissioner for National Teams and Competition and we take this very seriously. 

In Belgium, we don’t make any differences between all Belgian citizens. We are in close contact with our embassy in Riyadh and we guarantee the safety of everyone in our delegation.

We allow LGBTQIA+ to participate in all our qualifications without any discrimination! That’s the way we see it in Belgium!

We even have a commission on “ethics and integrity” which can be triggered in case of infringements of such matters. 

From the Alliance of Electronic Sports of Montenegro:

Last year, we were guests for a week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on GEF [Global Esports Federation] world championship in esports and I see no reason to worry about our players, because the hospitality and approach of the hosts is at the highest possible level. Honestly, we can’t wait for this year’s World Gaming Championship WEC 16 IESF and to see all the potential that Saudi Arabia can offer. I think that we can learn a lot from them regarding the promotion of the country, especially through the gaming and esports industry. Our players felt safe and protected at all competitions and we returned from everywhere full of positive impressions and with great experience. 

From the Qazaq CyberSport Federation:

1) We do not provide guarantees, but we take responsibility as the National Federation and conduct briefing sessions before tournaments.

2) We do not prohibit anyone from participating in our tournaments based on any criteria, as long as it does not contradict the regulations.

3) The first point is roughly covered [answer to our question – Do you guarantee the safety of participants in general? – ed.] the answer to this. Additionally, I only can add that we arrange medical insurance for each participant if we are participating in such kinds of tournaments.

From the Iraqi Esports Federation:

Normally it’s totally safe for sure to participate, only one concern about gays or trans [is] if they [are] not acting as they be or announcing that in public, it will be fine too.

Finally, the IESF put out a lengthy statement shared with TEA that tries to assuage some of the concerns about safety at its World Esports Championship later this year. We have provided the entire statement below:

The IESF recognizes and appreciates the recent concerns voiced by members of the public and media regarding athlete safety at the upcoming WEC24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

We want to reassure the general public and everybody in attendance at the WEC24, that Saudi Arabia is a safe and inclusive destination for athletes from diverse backgrounds, regardless of their religion, gender, nationality, or ethnicity, both now and in the future.

Our organization prioritizes the safety and well-being of all participants. It’s important to note that previous host countries of the last 15 World Championships have each had unique laws and customs, and in light of this, IESF is compiling a comprehensive handbook to guide all attendees, encompassing the specifics of the host country.

General Secretary Boban Totovski said: “Esports is a wave of positive energy that brings unity and harmony in the world. It shouldn’t be tarnished with exaggerations and misconceptions. Every country in the world has different rules, even within the EU or the USA. We always make sure the athletes and the National Federations are well informed in advance about the code of conduct during the event. IESF is gathering over 130 different nationalities and cultures in one place, and I must say, it’s the most rewarding feeling in the world!”

During the 2023 Asian Championship held in Riyadh, which brought together 173 athletes from 20 countries, there were no safety issues encountered. 

Furthermore, Saudi Arabia has successfully hosted numerous international sporting events, including, but not limited to the F1, FIFA Club World Cup, World Masters of Snooker, Riyadh Season Tennis Cup, Riyadh Season “Knockout Chaos” in boxing, Global Esports Games, and the Gamers8.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has emerged as a hub for cultural and sporting activities, with Riyadh set to host the 2030 World Expo.

We remain committed to ensuring a safe and rewarding experience for all participants at WEC24.