First Dota world finals in Shanghai kicks offwww.wanmei.com 2019-08-20
A total of 16 teams from across the world are competing for the championship in the city's Mercedes-Benz Arena. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The finals of the 2019 International Dota 2 Championships, one of the world's most popular esports tournaments, started in Shanghai on Tuesday and will end on Sunday.
A total of 16 teams from China, Russia, Europe, North America and the rest of the world will compete for the championship in the city's Mercedes-Benz Arena.
This is the first time China is hosting the annual event which has usually been held in the United States since 2011. The opening ceremony featured a Chinese fan dance with a live orchestra performing a musical piece with Chinese elements.
According to the organizers, the prize pool for this year's tournament is a record $33 million. The winning team will receive 45.5 percent of the pool.
Gabe Newell, the co-founder of the game's developer and publisher Valve Corporation, said: "On behalf of the Dota community I'd like to say thank you to the citizens and the government of Shanghai for your hospitality and kindness. We are absolutely delighted to hold the series here in China."
The opening game of the tournament was between Chinese team PSG.LGD and Russian team Virtus.Pro. The Chinese team won the match 2-0.
"I have played Dota for six years. The game has strengthened the bond among my friends and me," said He Ze, a college junior student in Jiangsu province who attended the event with his friends.
"The previous matches were held overseas, so we had no choice but to watch them online. We are so excited that it has come to China this year."
The opening ceremony features a Chinese fan dance with a live orchestra performing a musical piece with Chinese elements. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Another spectator was Ben Sloan, an American businessman based in Hong Kong.
"Chinese fans are some of the most passionate, and they really support their teams and the game. I hope the tournament will be held here again," he said.
According to Perfect World Zhengqi, a subsidiary of Perfect World Co Ltd and the operator of the game in China, the event's 26,804 tickets were sold out in just 53 seconds when they were made available in May.
Dota is an acronym for "Defense of the Ancients", one of the world's most popular multiplayer online battle arena games in which players level up their heroes and try to destroy their opponents' bases.
According to Statista, an online statistics tracker, the game has an estimated 11.19 million monthly active users worldwide as of January 2019.
Fans gather at Shanghai's Mercedes-Benz Arena for the finals of the 2019 International Dota 2 Championships, one of the world's most popular e-sports tournaments, opened on Tuesday and will end on Sunday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The event opens with a tournament between Chinese team PSG.LGD and Russian team Virtus.Pro. The Chinese team won the match 2-0. [Photo by Xing Yi / China Daily]
According to Perfect World Zhengqi, a subsidiary of Perfect World Co Ltd and the operator of the game in China, the event's 26,804 tickets were sold out in just 53 seconds in May. [Photo by Xing Yi / China Daily]
According to Perfect World Zhengqi, a subsidiary of Perfect World Co Ltd and the operator of the game in China, the event's 26,804 tickets were sold out in just 53 seconds in May. [Photo by Xing Yi / China Daily]
