eSports

Virtus.pro Appoints New Sports Director

Published

5 years ago

August 9, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Ivan “Lazar’” Lazarev joins Virtus.pro as a Sports Director. Ivan is a former professional player of the CSKA basketball team, Euroleague, and the VTB United League champion. Ivan will combine his new role with commenting on Dota 2 matches in the RuHub Studio. Lazar’s duties include working with players and coaches to build an optimal training process, monitoring players’ psychological and physical condition, coordinating the work of a psychologist and physical training coaches, as well as working with team managers to implement new training plans.

Ivan “Lazar’” Lazarev, Virtus.pro Sports Director:

“First of all, I would like to thank everyone for their trust. I am really happy to join the Bears!

I have spent my whole life in professional basketball clubs. My interests have always included working on building a team and developing team-building programs for young athletes. Most of the disciplines Virtus.pro competes in are team-based, so my experience will be useful. Establishing communication and understanding within teams will be one of my most important tasks. I am glad to share the experience of building work processes from traditional sports to the system Virtus.pro”.

Sergey Glamazda, Virtus.pro CEO:

“We have been thinking about what skills and background a sports director should have for a long time, and we have focused our search on an employee who hasn’t grown up in the industry so that he could bring something fresh and new for us. Ivan has been a professional athlete of the highest level for many years, he felt the pressure of fans in the arena, he competed for championships many times, he knows the logic behind building a training process, and he has experience of solving crisis situations within the team. At the same time, he himself loves esports and has already become a part of it. Therefore, Ivan is exactly the person who will share his many years of experience from classical sports with our teams and will help us get closer to the coveted championships.”

Nikolay Petrossian, ESforce Holding Media Director, Head of Cybersport.ru and RuHub:

“We are glad Ivan gets a new opportunity for development in esports. He proved himself as a talented and responsible caster at RuHub, and now he will be able to share valuable expertise from the world of traditional sports in Virtus.pro to make the teams of the largest Russian esports club stronger and more effective. Such cooperation will be beneficial not only for him, but to Virtus.pro and RuHub as well. We wish success to our talent both in a new role and as a great caster of our studio!”

eSports

G2’s Otis Lawrence wins 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship

Published

6 hours ago

May 29, 2026

Wladimir P.

g2’s-otis-lawrence-wins-2026-f1-sim-racing-world-championship

Welsh driver beats Ismael Fahssi by two points after a 12-round season running March 27 to May 28 with a $750,000 prize pool.

G2-backed Alpine Sim Racing driver Otis Lawrence has been crowned 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Champion after the season concluded on May 28.

The 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship ran from March 27 to May 28 and featured a $750,000 prize pool. Drivers representing Formula 1 teams competed across four events, starting with a live opener at DreamHack Birmingham.

The title was decided at the final event. Lawrence secured multiple race victories across 12 rounds and finished top of the standings.

Lawrence won the championship by two points ahead of Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports driver Ismael Fahssi. Reigning champion Jarno Opmeer of Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing placed third overall.

The post G2’s Otis Lawrence wins 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

eSports

Esports Foundation books Paris Expo Porte de Versailles for Esports World Cup 2026

Published

2 days ago

May 28, 2026

Wladimir P.

esports-foundation-books-paris-expo-porte-de-versailles-for-esports-world-cup-2026

The Esports Foundation (EF) has confirmed Paris Expo Porte de Versailles as the venue for Esports World Cup 2026, scheduled to run in Paris, France, from July 06 through August 23.

EF said tickets for all 25 competitions will go on sale from Friday, May 29, 2026, via esportsworldcup.com/tickets. The organiser said the venue will host competition arenas, broadcast operations, and fan activations across the seven-week programme.

According to EF, more than 2,000 players from over 200 Clubs and more than 100 countries will compete for a $75 million prize pool as part of the event’s cross-game Club Championship. The tournament lineup spans major competitive genres, including first-person shooters, strategy, sports, MOBAs, battle royales, fighting games, racing games, and Chess.

EF also outlined ticketing tiers, including Regular Tournament Passes, Premium Tournament Passes (with fast-track entry and a limited-edition goodie bag), Daily Regular Tournament Passes, and tiered Final Day seating zones (Gold, Silver, and Bronze) for select championship matches across VALORANT, League of Legends, Rocket League, and Counter-Strike 2.

The published schedule lists Week 1 events including VALORANT (July 9–12), ALGS Year 6 Split 1 Playoffs (Apex Legends) (July 7–11), Dota 2 (July 7–12), and FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves (July 8–11), with Counter-Strike 2 closing out Week 7 from August 19–23 alongside Fortnite Reload Elite Series Championship, Trackmania, and CROSSFIRE.

The post Esports Foundation books Paris Expo Porte de Versailles for Esports World Cup 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

eSports

Esports Foundation sets Esports World Cup 2026 venue at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles

Published

2 days ago

May 27, 2026

Wladimir P.

esports-foundation-sets-esports-world-cup-2026-venue-at-paris-expo-porte-de-versailles

Tickets go on sale May 29 for the seven-week Paris event running July 6 to August 23, with a $75 million prize pool across 25 competitions.

The Esports Foundation (EF) has confirmed Paris Expo Porte de Versailles as the venue for the Esports World Cup 2026, scheduled for July 06 through August 23 in Paris, France.

Ticket sales open Friday, May 29, 2026 via esportsworldcup.com/tickets. EF said the event will run for seven weeks and span 25 competitions, with more than 2,000 players from over 200 Clubs and more than 100 countries competing for a $75 million prize pool.

EF said Paris Expo Porte de Versailles will host competition arenas, broadcast operations, fan activations, and festival experiences. The organiser also pointed to the venue’s track record as the home of Paris Games Week since 2010 and as a site used during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Ticketing includes Regular Tournament Passes and Premium Tournament Passes, alongside Daily Regular Tournament Passes. For select championship matches across VALORANT, League of Legends, Rocket League, and Counter-Strike 2, EF said “Final Day Seating Zones” will be split into Gold, Silver, and Bronze tiers.

The published schedule lists Week 1 events including VALORANT (July 9–12), ALGS Year 6 Split 1 Playoffs for Apex Legends (July 7–11), Dota 2 (July 7–12), and FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves (July 8–11), concluding in Week 7 with Counter-Strike 2 (August 19–23), Fortnite Reload Elite Series Championship (August 19–22), Trackmania (August 19–22), and CROSSFIRE (August 18–22).

The post Esports Foundation sets Esports World Cup 2026 venue at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.