Two individuals found guilty in Overwatch competition, whole organization banned for life
Two individuals have been found guilty by South Korean authorities over match fixing in the qualifier for OGN’s Overwatch league, resulting in a lifetime ban from OGN competitions.
The manager and coach of Luminous Solar, Jin Seok-hoon and Baek Min-jeh, have been been charged over match fixing in the wildcard qualifier finals for OGN Overwatch APEX Challengers Season 3 according to an Inven report translated by ESPN Esports.
According to OGN’s investigation, which was released in February, the pair attempted to persuade opponents UnLimited to throw the game. They offered the team a guaranteed sponsorship deal in exchange for the loss, which would have qualified Luminous Solar for the second division of the APEX tournament. Seok-hoon and Min-jeh also falsified a medical certificate for one of the team’s players, allowing them to bring in a last minute substitute.
Following OGN’s findings the pair were banned for life from OGN events, as was the Luminous Solar organisation. In order to take part in future events, the players from that roster must compete under a different banner.
Match fixing had always been a long running issue in Korean esports, which may go back to the fact that competitive video gaming is of a huge importance in the Korean culture and thus many place too much on the results of matches.
