Hard Legion Esports barred from competing in WESG qualifiers

Russian organization, Hard Legion Esports, has been barred from competing in the WESG regional qualifiers due to the presence of two players from the Republic of Crimea.

Hard Legion revealed the situation in a TwitLonger in which they state that the organizers of the Russian event provided the information. Furthermore, players with any association with Crimea cannot compete in any of the regional qualifier events.

Hard Legion also states that the official tournament rules do not make mention anything of the sort, which has brought confusion and disappointment to the team and its fans. The situation possibly occurred as a form of sanction against Crimea. Since Russia annexed the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol in March 2014, some countries have imposed economic sanctions on Russia, including Crimea. They also refuse to recognize the annexation.

This development means that Hard Legion will be unable to participate in the WESG qualifiers as it lacks a complete roster. Said roster is the former DreamEaters squad that left their old team after citing several issues, including unpaid tournament winnings. 

Hard Legion was created on October 17 by the popular Russian YouTube and Twitch personality, Aleksei "HARDPLAY" Baranov.