TnC and Execration secure US visa 1 day before their flight to The International 6!
TNC and Execration have secured their visas to compete at The International 6!
With just one day to go before both team’s respective flights to this year’s The International 6, sources from inside the US Embassy in Manila have greenlighted the visa applications of TNC Pro Team and Execration.
Filipino fans can now breathe a collective sigh of relief as the TI dream remains alive. TNC Pro Team had made history by being the first Filipino Dota 2 team to qualify for The International after winning the Southeast Asian qualifiers against stiff competition. Execration on the other hand qualified for the Wild Card tournament and are playing for a shot at the main event.
READ: TNC, Execration might miss TI
But last week, news surfaced that the two teams might be missing the event as their B1/B2 visa applications were denied. With only days left before their flight, the teams turned to the office of Senator Benigno “Bam” Paolo Aquino, the Philippine eSports Organization’s Tryke Gutierrez and PeSPA to intercede on their behalf with the US Embassy.
With the collective effort of the community, the teams, Valve, US Senator Maria Cantwell and Jo Black, the Philippines will break the 5-year TI drought by sending our representatives to Seattle.
Senator Aquino had this to say:
“Our prayers for TNC and Execration have been answered. Matutuloy sila sa The International DOTA2 Championships at tuloy rin ang ating pagsuporta! Out of tens of thousands of teams vying to qualify for this competition, only 18 will compete – and 2 are from the Philippines! I would like to wish our Philippine teams good luck as they represent our country in the world stage! We are very proud of you!”
TNC Pro Team’s owner Eric Redulfin had a heart-felt message to the Filipino fans:
“Thank you to Almighty God for giving us this wonderful opportunity. Everything is indeed perfect in God’s time. We would like to sincerely thank Senator Bam Aquino and all of his hardworking staff. It has been many sleepless nights but you are always there supporting us. Without your sincere efforts, this will not be possible. Your push for e-sports in our country is greatly valuable for the whole community. Thank you very much! Also, we would like to thank the office of U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell for helping us to process the P-1 Visa application. Known to many that she is also the one who helped some players in TI5 regarding visa issues during that time. Your continuous support for the e-sports industry is truly appreciated. To the team of Valve Corporation who never gave up on our case despite the hurdles, words are not enough to describe how grateful our team is. Our only dream as a professional Dota 2 players will finally happen. Thank you very much for all the hardwork! To the individual people who joined us in the sleepless nights marathon and who helped us spread the news and situation we are facing, to PeSPA, Tryke of Peso, Orrin of ESL, Julius of Twitch, Joblack, Sir Norman of Team Bam, thank you very much! Last but definitely not the least, to all our fans and supporters who walked by us in this visa journey and will be walking with us until our last game in The International 2016, thank you very much! Hindi lang para sa amin to, gagawin namin ang lahat ng aming makakaya para mabigyan ng karangalan ang bansa natin! Maraming salamat sa walang sawa ninyong suporta!”
Execration’s Statement
Yeah , It’s Official! We Are Heading to Seattle with TNC Pro Team . Thanks to all who supported us and pray for us.
We would like to Thanks , Senator Bam and his team for the non-stop support and assistance they render for the filipino teams.
Thanks also to Valve , who give their best to support and help both teams t attend the Dream “TheInternational 6” with a special help again from our Dear US Senator Maria Cantwell who did help also the other Teams in the past Tournaments , and now she extended her help for the Filipino Team which is a great honor.
Thanks also to our Filipino Individuals , Start with TryQ Of PESO, Orrin of ESL, Julius(Banoobs) from Twitch, Joblack, Sir Norman of Team Bam, we are really thankful for the help. And Especially to our Supporters and Fans of Filipino Dota2 , We really appreciate your efforts and prayers and we are grateful for this support. Thank you very much!
PeSPA had this to say:
Through the effort of several key people and organizations that worked tirelessly to make this possible, Team Execration and TNC were finally able obtain their US visa to compete at The International 6. This has been the dream of every Philippine Dota 2 player which is to play at the biggest and grandest esport event in the world. Besides the association itself, we would like to thank Senator Bam Aquino and his team, US Senator Cantwell and his team, PESO and ESL organization for giving their time and effort.in making this possible. We wish Team Execration and TNC nothing but the best at The International 6!
TNC Pro Team and Execration are scheduled to fly to Seattle tomorrow, July 30, 2016, just in time to make the Wild Card qualifiers for The International.
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