Head of a theater in CIS fired for hosting a Dota 2 event

An interesting story took place Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic to the south of Kazakhstan. A theater in Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, hosted a Dota 2 competition with approximately $14,000 in the prize pool. The event caused discontent in the society, and the head of the theater was forced to resign from his post.

The tournament was taking place between January 18th and January 21st; team NL5 formed by Evgeniy "Blizzy" Ree (shown on the picture above, he plays in international events for Na’Vi) won. Soon after the tournament, a theater employ posted a video on YouTube saying that the “temple of culture” was defiled by an esports competition. The video went viral, and the head of the theater was compelled to give an interview, saying that the Ministry of Culture won’t supply sufficient funding, required to keep the theater up and running.

He also added that esports events don’t contradict with the cultural values of the country. The national culture only wins when a theater gets additional funding without risky investments.

Soon after that interview, a new head was appointed for the theater, who, according to rumors, is a singer favored by the president of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov.

By the way, the minister of culture of Kyrgyzstan is 32, ergo he should understand what Dota 2 and esports are. This story highlights the ramifications of ignorance and wrong perception of the public.