The VALORANT Champions Tour EMEA has permitted Gambit’s players to compete under a neutral moniker. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the team has yet to play in a match.
“This continues to be a very difficult time for everyone, not least for all us with family and friends living in Ukraine,” Gambit said in a statement on social media today. “We sincerely wish for tournaments to continue and players to focus on competition and sportsmanship. We’ve therefore taken the decision to empower our players, Redgar, Chronicle, d3ffo, Sheydos, and nAts, to take part in the upcoming VCT Competition as an independent team.”
The team is set to take part in VCT EMEA under the name “M3C,” according to Gambit in-game leader Redgar.
Riot Games canceled week three of the European competition due to the conflict in Ukraine. Later on, three matches from week four were played, with 10 more being played last weekend as a part of a super week. Gambit, however, didn’t take part. Riot didn’t mention the absence of the team in this period.
Gambit made a similar decision with its VALORANT roster to its CS:GO lineup. On March 11, the org revealed that its players will be allowed to compete in ESL Pro League Season 15 under a neutral banner. In contrast to Riot, though, ESL made it clear that organizations with “apparent ties” to the Russian government were strictly forbidden from being represented in the EPL.