Virtus.pro withdraw from IEM Rio: "We are committing to enhanced training" *

The decision comes after the squad failed to qualify for the final CS:GO Major in Paris.

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Update 17:23 : ESL has announced that Imperial will take Virtus.pro's place in Rio. "With less than a week until the competition begins in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, we’ve opted for the next team in line from the local region of the event, South America," the tournament organizer said in a statement.

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Virtus.pro have revealed they have withdrawn their CS:GO roster from IEM Rio just days ahead of the competition is set to start on April 17. Their replacement is not yet known, with ESL stating their intention to announce a replacement team as soon as possible.

"We believe that in the current shape, participation in the tournament will not bring satisfaction to either the team or the fans," Virtus.pro said in their announcement tweet. "Therefore, we are committing to enhanced training."

The news comes in the wake of the team failing to qualify for the Paris Major after making an unprecedented switch in the middle of the RMR tournament, replacing Aleksandr "⁠KaiR0N-⁠" Anashkin with David "⁠n0rb3r7⁠" Danielyan ahead the elimination series against MOUZ. The decision did little to change their fortunes, as they were eliminated by the European combine in a convincing 0-2 loss.

The team has struggled for results since their IEM Rio Major victory, placing last at BLAST Premier World Final 2022 to end the year before coming into 2023 with less-than-ideal form, too. They placed an encouraging 5-6th at IEM Katowice 2023 but soon came back crashing down with an early exit at both ESL Pro League S17 and most recently at the RMR. In the Major-qualification event, they exited with a 1-3 record that included losses to B8 and Into the Breach before the shock player switch.

The withdrawal of Virtus.pro has created further uncertainty regarding their roster situation. The motive for their mid-tournament switch is still largely shrouded in mystery, leaving the status of the team's future, especially that of KaiR0N- and n0rb3r7, up in the air.