After losing the LCK 2022 Summer finals against Gen.G in a 3-0 series, T1 has removed their head League of Legends head coach Choi ‘Polt’ Seong-hun ahead of Worlds. It comes after fans pressured the organization to make changes after falling short at MSI 2022.
The world-renowned T1 has had a massively successful history in League of Legends esports. They almost came back to their prior glory, breaking records during LCK 2022 Spring.
But they’ve been recently falling short of the lofty expectations hoisted by fans. They lost both finals at MSI 2022 to RNG and LCK 2022 Summer to Gen.G, sparking concerns from those who demand the best.
After T1’s devastating loss at MSI specifically, fans vocalized their complaints by creating a list of demands. One stated T1 needed to change out the head coach, Choi ‘Polt’ Seong-hun, for someone with more experience.
At first, T1 remained relatively quiet in response to the demands. But after the LCK finals, the ten-time Korean champions confirmed Polt would be moving from head coach to a general manager role just before Worlds 2022.
CEO Joe Marsh said in a statement: “After much thought, consultation with players and staff, I have made the difficult decision to move Choi ‘Polt’ Seong-hun out of his position as Head Coach.”
— T1 LoL (@T1LoL) September 5, 2022
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After posting words of appreciation for Polt, Joe Marsh, CEO of T1 announces T1’s replacement head coach as Bae ‘Bengi’ Seong-woong — a former world champion player for the illustrious organization.
“As of today, Bengi, the three-time Worlds champion and long-time member of the T1 family, will be elevated to interim Head Coach.”
In addition to this change, T1 is adding in another coach, Kim ‘Sky’ Ha-neul. This makes for three total coaches, including Kim ‘Moment’ Ji-Hwan.
“[Sky] will serve as an important resource to ‘Bengi’ alongside Kim ‘Moment’ Ji-Hwan, who will remain in his role. ‘Sky’ has proven to be an outstanding coach through all his efforts at T1 Esports Academy.”
Marsh concludes by stating “we will do everything we can to bring back the Worlds title.”
It’s unclear exactly how much of the decision to switch the coaching staff was influenced by the fans’ previous complaints, as the public statement makes no direct reference to the demands.
