Chengdu Hunters Overwatch League Player Can't Travel to U.S.
By Nicholas Barth ·
A member of the Chengdu Hunters Overwatch League has ran into an issue involving his visa that has temporarily caused him to not be able to enter the United States.
The Chengdu Hunters are one of the new expansion teams that will be making its debut in Season 2 of the Overwatch League when the new season of competition begins on February 14th. With the start of Season 2 of the Overwatch League nearing closer every day, the Chengdu Hunters began their trip to the United States in order to compete at the Overwatch League Arena in Los Angeles, California. However, one member of the Chengdu Hunters Overwatch League roster was refused entrance into the United States due to an issue with his visa.
Chengdu Hunters Overwatch League Visa Issue
The news of the visa trouble for one of the players for the Chengdu Hunters Overwatch Legaue team was revealed in a Weibo page where the organization announced that their team had made it safely to Los Angeles for Season 2. Unfortunately, the Chengdu Hunters explained in a follow up post to their travel announcement that DPS player Zhang 'YangXiaoLong' Zhihao had not been able to make the trip with the rest of the team, as YangXiaoLong's visa had been rejected and he was denied entry into the United States.
"There is news to tell you that because there is a history of refusal, Yang Xiaolong did not go to the United States with the first batch of members because of a visa refusal," stated the Chengdu Hunters. "We have contacted a lawyer to assist with the visa again, please let us wait for the results together."
Official: YangXiaoLong of Chengdu Hunters had his visa application rejected. The team is working with an immigration lawyer to resolve this issue. pic.twitter.com/QlmLOHVRFX
— OW Beacon (@OWBeacon) January 22, 2019
This is not the first time that visa issues have hit the esports world. The international nature of the industry and different stances various countries have taken when it comes to recognizing esports players as athletes eligible for athletic based visas has led to many instances of players being unable to travel for competitions throughout the history of the industry.
With Season 2 of the Overwatch League still having over three weeks before it begins, the Chengdu Hunters have plenty of time in order to get the visa issue involving the travel situation of YangXiaLong corrected in order for the Chinese expansion team to be at full strength when it makes its debut in the global esports league for Blizzard Entertainment's popular first person shooter title.
(cover photo courtesy of the Overwatch League)