The Overwatch League announced that it "will cancel all matches in China during February and March" in the wake of the spread of the coronavirus, giving the league its "first crisis in a pivotal third season," according to Sean Collins of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Dallas Fuel GM Mat Taylor said that teams around the league were in talks "trying to figure out the best course of action." Initially, the plan for the Fuel was to "set up in Guangzhou during the three-week period the team was touring Asia with a pair of matches in China and another in South Korea, but that has changed with the league's decision." Collins notes the third season of the OWL is an "important one in terms of league success and how it handles uncontrollable issues, such as the outbreak of a virus." Handling such problems effectively "could be telling" in how the OWL "caters to future issues, uncontrollable or self-imposed." What the league does in terms of when and where matches will be eventually played is "undecided as of now" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/30).
LOGISTICS HEADACHE: In DC, Hume & Amenabar note two of the teams based in China, the Guangzhou Charge and Shanghai Dragons, announced on Twitter that they "would temporarily relocate to South Korea," while the Chengdu Hunters announced that they "will remain in China for the start of the season." The Hunters are the only OWL team with an "entire roster and coaching staff from China." Given the "unpredictable situation and the potential for future travel restrictions on flights out of China, departing the country now may be the only way to assure that the Chinese teams can participate in any of the league's upcoming contests, as countries have begun taking measures to restrict the admittance of passengers on flights and other means of travel originating from China." Even before the threat of the coronavirus, the logistics of such a global design had "already proven challenging to the point of requiring compromise." The OWL's Paris-based franchise, the Eternal, will make its '20 home in New Jersey to "better accommodate the team's practice needs and a challenging travel schedule." The team's home matches will still be held in Paris (WASHINGTON POST, 1/30).
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