Riot Games suspends this weekend’s LLA matches

Amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, Riot Games Latinoamérica has postponed this weekend’s LLA matches. Games were scheduled to continue until March 29, but they now face an uncertain end date as the virus continues to spread.

The official LoL Esports Latinoamérica Twitter account broke the news last night. As per a translation by Daily Esports: “Our staff and partners have expressed concerns regarding the possible risk of infection they face in accessing our Arena and the possible interactions within the plaza where it is located.”

Oficialmente les informamos de nuestra decisión de posponer la jornada del 14 y 15 de Marzo de la LLA, en salvaguarda del bienestar emocional y físico de los jugadores profesionales. Esperamos reanudar la Liga en formato online la próxima semana. pic.twitter.com/51EGiUdwDf

— LLA (@LLA) March 13, 2020

The LLA studios have recently moved from Riot’s Chile offices to the Mall Artz Pedregal in Mexico City. The city alone has a population of 8.855 million people. That said, as of March 13, the entire country has only confirmed 6 COVID-19 cases.

Suspension of the games

Even so, given the concerns present, Riot chose to suspend the rest of the LLA games. “As a regional office, we will always put the health of all our staff and partners at the highest priority. For this reason, we have made the decision to suspend activities this weekend.” For now, the LLA has instructed teams to return to their Gaming Houses to continue practicing until more details are released.

Unlike other suspended League of Legends competitions, Riot specifically mentioned the suspension of this weekend only. It has not released word on whether it will suspend the next few weekends of the season as well.

Answering some concerns

Afterward, Riot Games LATAM director Rafael “Moto Hiro” Ojeda, shared the post, adding, “We listened. Decided. Acted. We are happy to take questions.” As he responded to questions from concerned fans, he gave detailed answers for more insight. “We take care of the integral well-being (physical, emotional). If a player or team does not feel safe and we can do something to prevent it, we will do it.” Additionally, he noted that online matches have also been suspended alongside physical ones.

Hola Juan. Los estándares de Riot responden a más que la información oficial. Queremos que la competencia se desarrolle bien. Cuidamos el bienestar integral (físico, emocional). Si un jugador o equipo no se siente seguro y nosotros podemos hacer algo para evitarlo, lo haremos.

— Riot MotoHiro – Raf (@RiotMotoHiro) March 13, 2020

Daily Esports will keep our readers updated as more details continue to develop.