The 2022 Spring Split LPL champions will be playing remotely at the Mid-Season Invitational 2022 (MSI 2022) due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation in China, Riot Games announced yesterday.

Because travel restrictions prevent Chinese teams from going to South Korea where the tournament will be held, arrangements have been made to allow the team to compete domestically from China.

The announcement comes after weeks of speculation over whether the Chinese region’s representatives will be able to play at MSI at all, as lockdowns continue in Shanghai.



All teams will play at 35ms at MSI 2022 to maintain fairness

MSI 2022
Credit: Riot Games

“The team will play from either their team training facility or from the LPL Arena in Shanghai, in accordance with local health and safety protocols,” Global Head of LoL Esports Naz Aletheha said.

To maintain fairness, a network latency tool will be used to keep the ping at 35ms for all teams throughout the tournament. The local ping in Korea ranges between 8-16ms.

Additionally, to ensure the competitive integrity of the competition, all MSI teams will be able to practice and scrim at 35ms.

After two playoffs postponements, the Chinese region’s MSI representatives will be decided on April 23, when Royal Never Give Up takes on Top Esports in the LPL Spring 2022 final.

MSI 2022 will be held from May 10 to May 29 in Busan, South Korea, at BEXCO. Check out the teams that have qualified for the tournament here.

You can read the full announcement here.

READ MORE: The top 3 LCS teams will face off on April 23 and 24 for a spot at MSI