The most prestigious Counter-Strike tournament for the second year in a row will be held in a country with a tense political situation, which will create some risk for esports athletes at the upcoming BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023.

First of all, opponents of the pension reform, which provides for an increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64 years old, are protesting. Due to the increased tension, the police are forced to use tear gas, and public transport and utility workers are going on strikes, which results, for example, in an increased amount of garbage on the streets of Paris.

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The previous major in Rio also took place against the backdrop of street protests, clashes with the police, which later turned into storming the National Congress of Brazil building. At that time, ESL strongly recommended staying in the hotel on the day of the elections on October 30, 2022, and on other days, asked not to wear uniforms on the street, move around the city by taxi, and not join the protests. In the end, the tournament took place without any major incidents. Especially since the event took place in the prestigious area of Rio de Janeiro with a large number of police patrols.

Most likely, BLAST will give players similar recommendations, thereby minimizing the likelihood of any incidents.

Remember that the Challengers stage at BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 starts on May 8. Detailed information about the tournament is available on the event page.