TI10: Three Team Aster players, coach test positive for COVID-19

Chinese Team Aster announced on Wednesday (29 September) that three of their players as well as other members of their staff have tested positive for the coronavirus just over a week away from the start of The International 10 (TI10), this year's iteration of Dota 2's world championship tournament.

According to a post on Team Aster's official Weibo page, the three players that tested positive for the virus include carry player Du "Monet" Peng, offlaner Lin "Xxs" Jing, and Ye "Borax" Zhibiao.

The team's coach, Cheng "Mad" Han, as well as two other members of its staff have also tested positive.

Team Aster, one of the five Chinese teams that qualified for TI10, have been bootcamping near the tournament's venue in Bucharest, Romania. The organisation clarified that members of the team only left their hotel in order to purchase necessities.

Team Aster said that all of its members that tested positive for the coronavirus were either "asymptomatic" or "mildly ill" and have already begun self-isolation.

The organisation also added that they are "currently actively communicating" the situation with TI10's organisers.

Team Aster's announcement also revealed that the four other Chinese teams that qualified for TI10 — namely PSG.LGD, Invictus Gaming, Vici Gaming, and Elephant — were staying in the same hotel as them.

The four other Chinese teams have since announced on their respective Weibo pages that their players have not exhibited symptoms of the coronavirus and that they are awaiting the results of precautionary tests.

As of the time of writing, both Dota 2 developer Valve Software and TI10 organiser PGL have not yet made any statements on the situation.

TI10 is set to begin on 7 October and will run until 17 October. With multiple players testing positive just over a week before it starts, there is growing concern over whether the tournament can be safely and successfully hosted.

TI10 features 18 of the best Dota 2 teams in the world competing to claim the title of world champions and the lion's share of the event's over US$40 million prize pool. TI10's main event from 12 to 17 October will notably be held in front of a live audience in the Arena Națională in Bucharest, Romania.

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