Esports player slapped with three-year competition ban for using sensitive wording in gamer tag

A Hong Kong esports player has been disqualified and banned from participating in the qualification competition of the Asian Games after putting sensitive wording in a gamer tag during a match against the Chinese national team on Sunday (Jul 16).

Esports Association of Hong Kong, China announced Tuesday that Lam Ki-lung, Hong Kong's Dota 2 player, was disqualified and barred from competing in the AESF Road to Asian Games series for using the Chinese words with the meaning of "liberate" in his in-game name.

The Chinese words in Lam's gamer tag was replaced by "**" during the match that was held on Sunday.

After an additional review, the association decided to ban Lam from participating in competitions they organized for three years until July 26, 2026, along with reserving the right to investigate the player's contract violation.

In the letter from the association, they emphasize they will continue to maintain and promote fairness during competitions and believe that non-competitive factors and personal emotions should be set aside during international competition. 

They stated that as an esports athlete bearing the image of Hong Kong, China Esports, they expect the players to maintain the spirit of Olympism and keep the competition pure.

The esports governing body said the decision is undoubtedly a severe penalty for the player but found it necessary to maintain the fairness of the entire event and competition ethics.