ESIC Issues Additional Sanction Against Player Lim Vi Ron (“Hiroshi”) for Participating in Member Event While Banned

OVERVIEW:

ESIC, with excellent help from ESL Asia executives, has investigated an incident involving Lim Vi Ron (playing, in this instance, as “Hiroshi”, but having been banned for offences committed while playing as “NAMIERURO_YT”) breaching the conditions of his active ban under previous sanctioning action by attempting to participate in an ESIC member event under an alias. As a result of this offence, Lim Vi Ron has been issued with a further sanction of a one-year ban, in addition to his pre-existing sanction.

ESL, a long-standing ESIC member and operator of the ESL Mobile Open Brawl Stars Season 1, has taken further action to disqualify the individual and their team from the competition.

Comment from Ian Smith, Commissioner:

“Bans exist to ensure that threats to the integrity of esports are mitigated to the greatest extent possible. It is apparent that any individual who acts in a way to undermine this purpose is acting in bad faith and to the detriment of the industry. ESIC takes any breach of sanction conditions seriously.“

INVESTIGATION OVERVIEW:

Summary of Outcome

ESIC undertook a review of the evidence provided by ESL Asia and determined that Lim Vi Ron had attempted to circumvent his existing ban from competition by deception and that conduct constituted an offense under Article 2.4.5 of the Code of Conduct.

Article 2.4.5 of the Code of Conduct states that is an offence

“Where the facts of the alleged incident are not adequately or clearly covered by any of the above offences, conduct that brings Esport, the Game, Event, ESIC or a Member into disrepute.”

By engaging in behaviour designed to avoid the conditions of a ban, the participant contravened Article 2.4.5 of the Code of Conduct. Upon assessment of this matter, the Commissioner has exercised his discretion to determine that this constitutes a Level 4 offense. Accordingly, the offending participant has been provided with a Notice of Charge detailing his offense and his sanction in the form of a ban for a period of 12 months from the date of his notice and his right to appeal clearly set out.

ESIC’s sanctions which are the subject of this release are summarised below:

Sanction against Lim Vi Ron: 12 Month Ban relating to ban avoidance in a Member event to run consecutively from the end of the pre-existing ban.

ESIC Ban End Date: 1 March 2023

Applicability of sanctions issued as a result of the investigation

As per all investigations conducted by ESIC, our determinations have effect across all of our membership. This includes members such as ESL, DreamHack, WePlay, BLAST, LVP, Eden and many others. ESIC also requests that all non-ESIC member tournament organisers honour these bans.