ESL and BLAST lift their bans on Virtus.pro

The Russian squad will compete under the historic tag for the first time since IEM Katowice 2022.

ESL and BLAST will once again allow Virtus.pro players to attend their events under the team's official banner instead of the Outsiders tag they had been using since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, when ESL banned organizations with ties to the Russian government in March 2022. The team's first outing at a BLAST event in black and orange will be the European RMR A event for the Paris Major on April 6-9.

Despite the ban, the organization had still allowed its players to compete at tournaments with a neutral name, leading to the formation of the aforementioned Outsiders tag, under which the team won the IEM Rio Major. The same ban applied to Gambit, who were also affected by the restrictions, forcing Vladislav "⁠nafany⁠" Gorshkov's men to attend events under the Players name until they were transfered to Cloud9.

The change in policy comes six months after Virtus.pro's sale to ex-ESforce CEO Emin Antonyan and Aram Karamanukyan, the latter having briefly taken over the role of CEO before the appointment of another former ESforce chief, Nikolai Petrossian, to the position. The sale has cleared the organization of its links to the Russian government in the eyes of the tournament organizers, leading to the removal of their bans starting March 22 (BLAST) and March 28 (ESL).

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Virtus.pro lineup to compete in ESL Pro League as Outsiders

Virtus.pro was purchased by Emin Antonyan and Aram Karamanukyan in September in a deal reportedly worth around $2.8 million. The now Armenia-based organization made sure to express this change in ownership and six months later they are now allowed back into the fold after VK's confirmation of the sale. "We welcome the decision of BLAST and ESL to return Virtus.pro to their tournaments as a result of their in-depth reviews that confirmed the club has met the requirements for reintegration," read the statement from Virtus.pro CEO Nikolai Petrossian.

FISSURE were the first to allow Virtus.pro's participation at events, announcing on Tuesday their decision to invite Dzhami "⁠Jame⁠" Ali and company to the quarter-finals of BetBoom Playlist Urbanistic 2023. BLAST's decision to reintegrate the organization into their tournaments takes immediate effect, while the players will wait until the end of ESL Pro League Season 17 to wear their official colors at ESL events.