Riot Games’ Esports Championships in China, Korea Suspended Over Coronavirus Concerns

The game developer is suspending esports play in Asia until further notice

Riot Games' headquarters in West LA.

Riot Games’ “League of Legends” Champions League competitions in Korea and China are suspended due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, the game developer said Tuesday.

Riot announced the leagues’ suspensions of play on March 3, and play in both leagues is suspended indefinitely beginning on March 9.

In Korea, media and staff were tested for coronavirus and quarantined for over 11 hours after broadcast host Mina Kim fell ill during a match and was taken to the hospital. Kim had a fever but tested negative for coronavirus.

The Chinese “League of Legends” professional league has been on hold since Jan. 19, when the league announced it would halt play due to the coronavirus spread in mainland China and across the globe.

Riot did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

Earlier this week, the Game Developers Conference scheduled in San Francisco for March 16-20 was canceled after most of its major attendees pulled out, citing concerns over coronavirus’ spread. Google announced March 3 it would scrap plans for its annual I/O developer conference, scheduled for May 12-14 in Mountain View, California. Google’s summit attracted roughly 7,000 people last year, and the company said it will offer full refunds to any existing ticket-holders for this year’s gathering.

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