Snap election in Turkey moves BLAST Pro Series, Istanbul!

Ticket sales had just opened and more than 1,000 fans had already secured their spot at the biggest esports event ever held in Turkey when President Erdogan called for a snap election on the exact date of BLAST Pro Series, Istanbul.

The newest, most energetic and cutting edge live event of esports was all set up to bring World Class Counter-Strike to Istanbul, 6 international top teams were confirmed for the iconic event that has already broken several records on mainstream flow TV, and several international broadcasters were confirmed, when the political reality forced a change of plans.

Following a lot of groundwork and in close cooperation with authorities, partners, the venue, teams and their organizations as well as representatives from broadcasters and with local support, it has been possible to reconfirm the event on a new date:

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BLAST Pro Series, Istanbul

Ülker Sports Arena (unchanged)

29th September 2018

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Jordi Roig, Executive Producer of BLAST Pro Series, explains:

- We have invested a lot of resources and energy in bringing BLAST Pro Series to Istanbul and when we announced the event, we were received the warmest possible way by the Turkish fans and everybody around it. Needless to say, it created a bit of a challenge for us when we found out a general election had been called for the exact same weekend, and we have literally worked day and night to find a solution to keep BLAST Pro Series in Turkey this year, Roig comments.

- We have worked with local authorities, the ambassadors from both countries, local partners, broadcasters, the venue, all teams and their management to keep our promise to the Turkish fans. It was obvious we could not maintain the original date, but through the great support from everybody involved, we have been able to move everything around and have reserved Ülker Sports Arena in September, the EP of BLAST Pro Series continues.

- We are proud to be the first to bring a major esports event to Turkey and I have no doubt that the crowd in Istanbul will make it a truly magical event. Everybody who has experienced BLAST Pro Series will know this is something really unique in esports and in live entertainment and by adding the ambience of a packed arena in Istanbul, we look forward to yet again setting new standards for live esports.

- We are working to make it a week of esports in Istanbul, and we are already deep into planning activities with local organizations and partners.There will be other international esports events on the same date, but it only means even more resources will be put into making BLAST Pro Series, Istanbul stand out as the premium live concept available, Jordi Roig says.

Jordi Roig elaborates:

- BLAST Pro Series is created to cater for the fans in the arena, for the hard core viewers and for a much wider audience than the traditional esports tournaments. BLAST Pro Series, Istanbul will be the first of 4 major events from September to January, and I believe that what we present in the arena and to the viewers online and on TV from Istanbul will set new standards for live events and competitive entertainment. It will be an amazing show and it will be a spectacular opening of our Fall Season where we will bring some real news to the global esports scene.

World-class Counter-Strike - and a big surprise in Istanbul

BLAST Pro Series will not only bring the biggest esports event ever, top-entertainment and established world-class Counter-Strike teams to Turkey and Istanbul - there will also be a brand new international top team with a yet-to-be-announced line-up of players on stage in Ülker Sports Arena! With this, 5 teams have already been confirmed, including the present number 1 in the world from Astralis, the legendary teams NiP and Virtus.Pro, the local heroes Space Soldiers and one additional team to be announced.

Teams for BLAST Pro Series, Istanbul will be:

- Astralis

- Ninjas in Pyjamas

- Virtus.Pro

- Space Soldiers

- Reserved Slot (TBA)

- New international top team with a yet-to-be-announced line-up.

The tournament will be played on 28th-29th September with all the decisive groups stage matches and Grand Finals played in Ülker Sports Arena on the event date 29th September. Tickets for the arena event on 29th September are available via www.Mobilet.com. Tickets already bought are valid for the new date. If for some reason ticket buyers are not able to attend the event and wish to get their tickets refunded, this can be done by contacting the ticket sales provider, Mobilet. Refunds are to be claimed no later than July 1st 2018. 

Doors open at 12 noon on 29th September, and the event is expected to end around 10pm. More information on the event, programme and all activities will be announced over the coming weeks.