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The 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic refers to a pandemic of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The virus can be fatal, with symptoms including fever, coughing, and breathing difficulties. Although not directly related to League of Legends esports, the spread of the virus overseas coupled with its high rate of transmission led to most professional leagues being postponed or undergoing changes to stop the spread of the virus.

Timeline of Events[]

December 2019[]

  • December 8, symptoms of the virus are detected in a patient for the first time.[1]

January 2020[]

  • January 9, first death attributed to the virus is confirmed.[2]
  • January 25, both the LPL 2020 Spring Season and LDL 2020 Spring Season are postponed indefinitely due to the outbreak.[3][4]
  • January 27, Munchables confirms that the English language LPL casting team have left China.[5]
  • January 29, start of the LCK 2020 Spring Season will go ahead on February 5 as scheduled, but games will be played without a live audience until further notice, players from both teams will not shake hands after the game.[6][7]
  • January 29, start of the PCS 2020 Spring Season, originally scheduled for February 8, is postponed indefinitely due to the outbreak.[8]
  • January 30, start of the CK 2020 Spring Season will go ahead on February 6 as scheduled, but games will be played without a live audience until further notice, players from both teams will not shake hands after the game.

February 2020[]

  • February 1, the LDL is expected to start after February 20.[9]
  • February 3, LCS teams and players are allowed to opt into fan meets and audience high fives as they always have.[10]
  • February 6, start of the LJL 2020 Spring Season will go ahead on February 8 as scheduled, but fan meetings after games will be stopped.[11]
  • February 7, VCS 2020 Spring Season games will be played without a live audience until further notice, with fans that bought tickets for Week 2 being fully refunded.[12]
  • February 18, the LPL will be holding an "online scrims league" starting on February 26.[13]
  • February 18, start of the AESF e-Masters Chengdu 2020, originally scheduled for February 28, is postponed indefinitely due to the outbreak.[14]
  • February 18, the PCS 2020 Spring Season is announced to start on February 29.[15]
  • February 23, "the Chinese national general administration of sports department has requested that all gatherings of sports events before April 30th must be halted."[16]
  • February 23, LCK host Mina shows signs of fever during the day's games and departs the broadcast due to the possibility of her having contracted coronavirus.[17]
  • February 24, previous announcement from the the Chinese national general administration of sports department is amended to state that there is no explicit date on which sports events can resume.[18]
  • February 24, on-site LCK coverage by Inven is halted for the week.[19] LCK host Mina's test comes back as negative.[20]
  • February 25, it's confirmed that the announcement regarding the time and location of the 2020 Mid-Season Invitational has been delayed due to the outbreak.[21]
  • February 25, Collegiate competitors are advised that the College Championship in Los Angeles is dependent on the LCS broadcast team and equipment and that there may be a change in dates if concerns about Coronavirus continue.[22]
  • February 25, the LCK media room is announced to be closed indefinitely.[23]
  • February 25, from Week 5 of the LJL 2020 Spring Season, games will be played without a live audience until further notice.[24]
  • February 26, China is putting full effort into hosting Worlds 2020 this year.[25]
  • February 27, the Cartoomics fair, which was initially the venue of the League's semifinals and finals, is postponed to October.[26]
  • February 28, the LPL is announced to return on March 9 with games played online. All players except those in quarantined provinces will be playing from their club headquarters. The English-language broadcast will return on March 15.[27]

March 2020[]

  • March 2, both the LCK and CK will be suspended indefinitely after the end of the first round robin on March 6 due to an uptick of confirmed cases in South Korea.[28]
  • March 3, reduced Championship Points will be awarded for the Spring Season.[29]
  • March 5, PG Esports announced that semifinals will be played online on the 11th and 12th of March.[30]
  • March 6, LEC Spring Finals have been moved from Budapest to the LEC studio in Berlin.[31]
  • March 6, LCS Spring Finals are planned to be played in Frisco, Texas as scheduled but the situation is being closely monitored. Handshakes, victory high-fives, and fan meets at games are canceled until further notice.[32]
  • March 7, start of the Female Esports League Elite Season 3, originally scheduled for March 7, is postponed indefinitely due to the outbreak.[33]
  • March 9, a man is confirmed positive to the coronavirus in Frisco, Texas.[34]
  • March 10, the 2020 edition of Gamers Assembly have been officially cancelled.[35]
  • March 10, due to disruption caused by the outbreak, the 2020 Mid-Season Invitational will start on July 3, with a location yet to be announced. As a result of this rescheduling, the start of the Summer Season will be brought forward, with MSI taking place during the split - like Rift Rivals had in the past. Rift Rivals are cancelled in 2020 due to these date changes.[36]
  • March 10, the College Championship is being postponed to a later date due to the change of date for MSI as well as the LCS Summer Split.[37]
  • March 10, Prime League Spring Finals in the Stage Theater in Berlin are cancelled. The organizers are considering an alternate location in Berlin with a smaller audience.[38]
  • March 11th, the World Health Organization declares Coronavirus a pandemic.[39]
  • March 11, the 2020 edition of The Gathering have been officially cancelled.[40]
  • March 11, LVP SLO Spring Finals are played online instead of in the Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid.[41]
  • March 11, all upcoming Circuito Tormenta 2020 stops will be played online.[42]
  • March 12, Finals for Nordic Championship and UKLC in the Dreamhack Studio in Stockholm, Sweden are cancelled and will be played online instead.[43]
  • March 12, the EBL offline finals in Serbia are cancelled and will be played online.[44]
  • March 12, the Hitpoint Masters offline finals are cancelled and will be played online.[45]
  • March 12, the LCS live audience, tailgates, and press interviews will be suspended until further notice.[46]
  • March 12, the second week of the LFL Playoffs (including Finals) will be played online instead.[47]
  • March 12, the LEC live audience and press interviews will be suspended for the remainder of the split, including Finals.[48] After the announcement from the Danish government shutting down Denmark for 14 days, Origen will play online for week 8.[49][50]
  • March 12, offline finals in Lithuania for Baltic Masters are cancelled and will be played online.[51]
  • March 12, live audience will be suspended for the remainder of the TCL Winter Season.[52]
  • March 12, LPLOL Spring Finals are played online.[53]
  • March 12, ORDER's games scheduled for Week 7 of OPL Split 1 are postponed due to travel concerns. ORDER is the only team not based in Sydney, the location of the OPL studio, and therefore must travel from Melbourne every week.[54]
  • March 12, the LLA will be played behind closed doors from Week 5 until further notice.[55]
  • March 12, the VCS will be suspended or moved online from March 31 as GG Stadium must close following an official letter from Ho Chi Minh City government.[56][57]
  • March 13, OPL Split 1 matches held on March 14 are postponed.[58]
  • March 13, Insomnia66 is cancelled.[59]
  • March 13, the first 3 rounds of the Ultraliga Season 3 Playoffs are played online. A decision about the Finals will be made at a future date.[60]
  • March 13, Round 4 of the GLL Spring Playoffs has been postponed to a later date.[61]
  • March 13, LEC Spring Split is suspended until further notice.[62]
  • March 13, the Week 5 matches of the LLA are postponed. The league is focusing on making the teams play online from the following week onwards.[63]
  • March 13, LCS Spring Split and NA Academy Spring Season are suspended until further notice. LCS Spring Finals have been moved from Texas to the LCS studio in Los Angeles.[64]
  • March 13, all CLOL conferences are suspended until further notice.[65]
  • March 14, handshakes between players and coaches have been banned.[66] The Week 7 Day 3 matches of VCS Spring have been scheduled 5 hours earlier.[67]
  • March 14, the 2020 edition of Infoshow is officially cancelled.[68]
  • March 15, VCS caster Hoàng Luân had to isolate himself at home because he met someone who had contact with someone with coronavirus.[69]
  • March 16, CBLoL Split 1 and BRCC Split 1 are temporarily suspended for at least 15 days, due to recommendations released by the Ministry of Health and the São Paulo State Department of Health. The possibility of moving the CBLoL games online is considered.[70]
  • March 16, the remaining rounds of the LFL Playoffs are indefinitely postponed.[71]
  • March 16, the Belgian League Spring Playoffs juggernaut match is postponed due to an internet outage in Belgium.[72]
  • March 17, all remaining OPL Split 1 matches will be held online until further notice.[73]
  • March 17, all remaining LEC Spring Split matches will resume online from March 20 onwards.[74]
  • March 17, NA Academy Spring Season and LCS Spring Split will resume online from March 19 onwards.[75] LCS games on Monday Night League will be moved during the weekend, while the Academy games will be broadcasted back-to-back on Thursdays and Fridays.
  • March 17, the TCL Winter Season as well as the Academy League Winter Season are suspended until further notice.[76]
  • March 17, the VCS Spring Season will be played online from Week 8 onwards. The matches set to be played during that week are postponed.[77][78]
  • March 18, the Romanian Esports League is being postponed to April.[79]
  • March 18, the Belgian League Spring Playoffs are postponed.[80][81]
  • March 18, the Dutch League Spring Playoffs are postponed.[82]
  • March 19, the LCK and CK have been announced to resume on March 25 and March 26 respectively. The LCK will be played online, with the matches being played two hours earlier than usual.[83]
  • March 19, the GUL 2020 Opening Playoffs are postponed until further notice.[84]
  • March 24, the LCL Open Cup Finals, initially planned offline, are moving online. The schedule remains the same.[85]
  • March 24, Copenhagen Games 2020 has been cancelled.[86]
  • March 25, the LCS Spring Split Finals are confirmed to be played online.[87]
  • March 25, Round 3 and Finals of the LJL 2020 Spring Playoffs is postponed to May 3 and 4 respectively, matches will be held without a live audience.[88]
  • March 26, the LLA announced that the league will be resumed online, for the remainder of the split. This also applies to the domestic finals.[89]
  • March 28, the TCL Winter Season as well as the Academy League Winter Season will be resumed online on April 4 and 2 respectively.[90]
  • March 31, Round 3 and Grand Finals of the LFL Playoffs will be played on April 8 and 9 respectively.[91] For safety reasons, the matches will be played online.[92]

April 2020[]

May 2020[]

  • May 26, LEC Summer will begin with the teams playing online, while a few members of the broadcasting crew will be able to be in the studio in Berlin. LEC Summer Finals in Malmö, Sweden, have been canceled.[100]

June 2020[]

  • June 1, CBLoL Split 2 will start online. Updates on the situation will be provided throughout the split, following the health recommendations in Brazil.[101]
  • June 3, the first week of LJL Summer will be held online due to the situation of COVID-19 in Tokyo. Other options are to be considered later on.[102]
  • June 5, the whole regular season of LLA Closing will be held online. Depending on how the situation evolves, playoffs may be played in an arena with or without audience.[103]
  • June 28, the LJL 2020 Summer Split will be continued offline without an audience, from Week 3 onwards.[104]

July 2020[]

August 2020[]

September 2020[]

  • September 1, Vietnamese teams will be unable to participate in the 2020 Season World Championship, due to travel restrictions related to coronavirus. To compensate for this, the Worlds 2020 Play-In will now consist of two best of one groups with five teams each. Teams finishing 1st in these groups qualify for the Main Event, while the 3rd and 4th from the same group face each other. The winners of these games face the 2nd seed from the opposite group for a Main Event spot. Also, the LCK's 3rd seed will receive the Main Event spot that would have gone to the first place Vietnamese team.[111]
  • September 30, the LLA 2021 Opening Promotion was officially cancelled, with the teams involved being reseeded to compete in the LLA 2022 Opening Promotion.[112]

December 2020[]

  • December 9, the LPL All-Star event has been postponed due to the recent pandemic situation in Chengdu. Tickets that were already bought will be refunded.[113]

February 2021[]

  • February 3, VCS Spring 2021 week 3 has been postponed due to the increasing amount of COVID-19 patients in Vietnam. It is unknown when the split will continue. [114]
  • February 18, two of Voraxlogo stdVorax's matches from CBLOL 2021 Split 1 Week 6 have been postponed due to a few players from their roster having been tested positive for COVID-19. [115]

Further Information[]

References[]

  1. 专家解读不明原因的病毒性肺炎最新通报 (Chinese) wjw.wuhan.gov.cn
  2. China Reports First Death From New Virus nytimes.com
  3. China's LPL, LDL postpone season amid coronavirus outbreak espn.com
  4. LPL's Tweet twitter.com
  5. Munchables' Tweet twitter.com
  6. 2020 LCK Spring Split will begin without audiences at LoL Park due to risk of Coronavirus invenglobal.com
  7. Ashley Kang's Tweet twitter.com
  8. LoL Pacific Championship Series' Facebook Post facebook.com
  9. kenzi's Tweet twitter.com
  10. Email communication from Rioter Kaitlin Stewart on Feb 3 - “Our player’s health and safety is our top priority,” said LCS Commissioner Chris Greeley. “At this time, we allow our teams and pro players to opt into fan meets and audience high fives as they always have.”
  11. 『LJL 2020 Spring Split』開催に関して (Japanese) jp.lolesports.com
  12. GG Stadium's Facebook Post facebook.com
  13. LPL's Tweet twitter.com
  14. ASEF's Post aesf.com
  15. LoL Pacific Championship Series' Facebook Post facebook.com
  16. Ran's Tweet twitter.com
  17. LCK Mina potentially contracts Coronavirus reddit.com
  18. Ran's Tweet twitter.com
  19. Inven Global's Tweet twitter.com
  20. Mina's Instagram Post instagram.com
  21. lolesports' Tweet twitter.com
  22. Announcement from Rioter J.T. Vandenbree on Feb 25
  23. Ashley Kang's Tweet twitter.com
  24. LJL's Tweet (Japanese) twitter.com
  25. Ran's Tweet twitter.com
  26. Cartoomics' Tweet twitter.com
  27. LPL's Tweet twitter.com
  28. 2020 우리은행 LCK 스프링 잠정 중단 안내 (Korean) kr.leagueoflegends.com
  29. Ran's Tweet twitter.com
  30. PG Esports' Tweet (Italian) twitter.com
  31. LEC Spring Finals Update watch.lolesports.com
  32. LCS' Tweet twitter.com
  33. Important Links and Information Female Esports League facebook.com
  34. Man living in Frisco, Texas, is confirmed positive to the coronavirus texastribune.org
  35. Annulation officielle de la 21ème édition de la Gamers Assembly (French) ga2020.gamers-assembly.net
  36. 2020 MSI Moved from May to July watch.lolesports.com
  37. Announcement from Rioter J.T. Vandenbree on Mar 10
  38. PrimeLeague's Tweet (German) twitter.com
  39. WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020 who.int
  40. The Gathering 2020 er avlyst (Norwegian) gathering.org
  41. LVP suspende el evento de Vistalegre: la final de la Superliga Orange será online (Spanish) lvp.global
  42. Situación del Circuito Tormenta (Spanish) circuitotormenta.com
  43. UKLC & NC FINALS TO BE MOVED ONLINE dreamhack.com
  44. Season 6 Finals Cancelled lol.balkanesports.com
  45. AKTUÁLNÍ VYJÁDŘENÍ K HITPOINT LEGENDS #5 hitpoint.cz
  46. LCS' Tweet twitter.com
  47. La deuxième semaine des playoffs de la LFL se jouera en online (French) lollfl.com
  48. LEC Live Event Update watch.lolesports.com
  49. Origen's Tweet twitter.com
  50. Live det offentlige lukker ned på grund af Corona (Danish) dr.dk
  51. Baltic Masters' Tweet twitter.com
  52. VFŞL Maçlarına Seyirci Katılımı Hakkında Duyuru (Turkish) lolesports.com
  53. LPLOL's Tweet (Portuguese) twitter.com
  54. OPL's Tweet twitter.com
  55. LoL Esports Latinoamérica's Tweet (Spanish) twitter.com
  56. Photo of Letter (Vietnamese) cdn.discordapp.com
  57. Nữ bí thư quận 1 đề xuất đóng cửa tạm thời quán bar, vũ trường (Vietnamese) vietnamnet.vn
  58. OPL's Tweet twitter.com
  59. Insomnia's Tweet twitter.com
  60. Ultraliga's Facebook Post (Polish) facebook.com
  61. Greek Legends' Facebook Post (Greek) facebook.com
  62. LEC's Tweet twitter.com
  63. LoL Esports Latinoamérica's Tweet (Spanish) twitter.com
  64. LCS' Tweet twitter.com
  65. Riot Scholastic Association of America Tweet twitter.com
  66. Mentioned by caster Lê Khôi after GAM vs FL Game 1 picks and bans.
  67. Vietnam Esports TV's Facebook Post (Vietnamese) facebook.com
  68. Infoshow's Facebook Post facebook.com
  69. Hoàng Luân's Youtube Video (Vietnamese) youtube.com
  70. Comunicado: Suspensão temporária do CBLoL e Circuito Desafiante (Portuguese) watch.lolesports.com
  71. LoL Esports France's Tweet (French) twitter.com
  72. lolesports BE's Tweet twitter.com
  73. OPL's Tweet twitter.com
  74. LEC Returns this Friday! watch.lolesports.com
  75. LCS and Academy Return watch.lolesports.com
  76. LoLespor's Tweet (Turkish) twitter.com
  77. VCS' Facebook Post (Vietnamese) facebook.com
  78. GG Stadium's Facebook Post (Vietnamese) facebook.com
  79. Announcement from Octav "ang" Cretu. lol.gamepedia.com
  80. lolesports BE's Tweet twitter.com
  81. lolesports BE's Tweet twitter.com
  82. lolesports NL's Tweet twitter.com
  83. 2020 LCK가 돌아옵니다 (경기일정 업데이트) (Korean) kr.leagueoflegends.com
  84. LVPperu's Tweet (Spanish) twitter.com
  85. Путеводитель болельщика: финал LCL Open Cup 2020 (Russian) ru.lolesports.com
  86. Copenhagen Games and Covid19 copenhagengames.com
  87. LCS's Tweet twitter.com
  88. Spring Split Round3および、Finalの開催について (Japanese) watch.lolesports.com
  89. LoL Esports Latinoamérica's Tweet (Spanish) twitter.com
  90. VFŞL 4 NİSAN CUMARTESİ GERİ DÖNÜYOR! (Turkish) watch.lolesports.com
  91. LoL Esports France's Tweet (French) twitter.com
  92. LoL Esports France's Tweet (French) twitter.com
  93. O CBLoL volta no dia 10 de abril! (Portuguese) watch.lolesports.com
  94. LPL English's Tweettwitter.com
  95. Riot Scholastic Association of America's Tweettwitter.com
  96. VETV's Facebook Postfacebook.com
  97. Update on MSI from John Needhamwatch.lolesports.com
  98. 2020 World Champpionships Regional Seed Allocation watch.lolesports.com
  99. オンライン開催について (Japanese) watch.lolesports.com
  100. LEC Update: Studio Production and Summer Finals watch.lolesports.com
  101. CBLoL 2020 - Segunda Etapa: Calendário Oficial (Portuguese) watch.lolesports.com
  102. LJL 2020 Summer Splitの開催方針について (Japanese) watch.lolesports.com
  103. La LLA Clausura se jugará en línea (Spanish) watch.lolesports.com
  104. LJL's Tweet (Japanese) twitter.com
  105. We regret to announce that FSL Elite Arena of Valor and League of Legends will be cancelled facebook.com
  106. LJL's Tweet (Japanese) twitter.com
  107. Hitpoint Legends #5's Facebook Post (Czech) facebook.com
  108. GG Stadium's Facebook Post (Vietnamese) facebook.com
  109. lck_global's Tweet twitter.com
  110. LEC Playoffs Production Update - Summer 2020 watch.lolesports.com
  111. Worlds 2020 Update: Format Changes watch.lolesports.com
  112. La Promoción/Relegación se posterga al 2021 lolesports.com
  113. lplenglish's Tweet twitter.com
  114. VCSLMHT Facebook facebook.com
  115. Comunicado: Adiamento de partidas da VORAX no CBLOL lolesports.com
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