Hangzhou Spark dealt another blow before OWL Midseason Madness

Hangzhou Spark’s hopes for the Overwatch League Midseason Madness have taken another blow as the team will not be able to travel to Korea for the event.

In a Twitter post, the Overwatch League announced that, because of “unforeseen developments regarding immigration requirements”, the Spark are unable to attend the event in person and will instead have to play remotely from the team’s facility.

The League added that it worked “tirelessly” together with the Spark to try to resolve the visa problem before ultimately settling for a remote solution.

“Each member of our team really wanted to arrive in Korea to compete in live and to meet our adoring fans,” the Spark tweeted. “It is such a pity that it will not be happening. However, we will still do our best in the upcoming matches remotely!”

It’s another blow for the Chinese team, which has been given the East’s No.2 seed at the Midseason Madness event despite the rules stating it should have the top seed. The League apologized to the Spark for the seeding mix-up, which it blamed on “an administration error”, and bumped the tournament’s prize pool from $900,000 to $1.08 million.

After finishing the Spring Stage qualifiers in third place, the Spark earned one of the East region’s spots at Midseason Madness by winning the Knockout Stage’s Bracket 1, beating Seoul Dynasty, Guangzhou Charge and Dreamers.

The Overwatch League Midseason Madness will be held from June 16-18 in Goyang, one of Seoul’s satellite cities. The Spark and Seoul Infernal will represent the East region, while Atlanta Reign, Houston Outlaws, Boston Uprising and Florida Mayhem will make up the West’s contingent for the event.