The Dota 2 World Championship will have to move to a different location this year after a classification decision by Swedish officials eliminated the long-planned Stockholm venue.Valve will work with local and national organizations starting in 2019 to host The International's 10th The International is the highest-prize event in esports, with prize money totaling more than $40 million this year.

"Despite our previous reassurances, we were informed two weeks ago that the Swedish Sports Federation had resolved not to accept esports into its sports federation," Valve said in an announcement. Valve then appealed to the Swedish Minister of the Interior, who refused to recognize The International 10 as an "elite sporting event." Without this classification, the entry of contestants would not be guaranteed due to Covid-19 restrictions. It is hard to imagine how difficult it would be to organize a tournament when some team members might not be able to participate.

Valve then appealed directly to the Swedish government, but was denied assistance, and subsequent appeals failed to resolve the issue. Valve stated, "As a result, given the current political situation in Sweden, we began looking for alternative possible venues elsewhere in Europe to host this year's event."

It is possible that the event could be held in Stockholm, but this announcement seems to make that much less likely; Valve said it is "confident" that updated plans will be announced in the very near future.

Qualifying for the International10 will begin this week on June 23, and Dota 2's summer event-Nemestice-will be released later this week. (Date TBD. Classic Valve!)