PGL Esports, a company that hosts live in-person tournaments for games such as FIFA, Dota 2, and CS:GO will require proof of vaccination 💙against Covid-19 from all players and attendees.
PGL's CEO Silviu Stroie made the announcement via Twitter, saying: "I firmly believe the only way to bring back massive LAN events is to require complete vaccination of attending players, talent, spectators." These rules will be in place for all 2022 events.
Considering PGL's size and reach, it's possible that this is a sign of things to come in the esports scene, particularly as cases rise in countries such as the US and UK following an end to lockdown restrictions.
Looking at the , this makes a lot of sense. Those who are fully vaccinated are significantly less likely to get seriously ill and die from Covid-19, even if they do get it. This is especially important after the spread of the Delta variant, which is considered more dangerous than previous variants, especially towards unvaccinated people. Further still, while the fully vaccinated are still able to carry Covid-19, there is that they are less likely to transmit it to others (although this doesn't mean there is no chance of it happening).
The next PGL event will be a CS:GO major in Swe🍸den. Possibly due to the lack of regulation on the matter in the country, this event will not require proof of vaccination. However, as many have highlighted in the replies, PGL as a private organization is legally able to require that proof in some form regardless.