Both the Iranian government and the eSports governing body of Iran, WCG Iran, are being criticized today following surprising revelations regarding female Champions in the critically acclaimed MOBA game, League of Legends.
League of Legends is actually currently banned in Iran and the Iranian government have yet to confirm the upcoming tournament scheduled for September 12th to September 16th. Not every female League of Legends Champion has been banned however, only ones the government deem as inappropriate will be unavailable.
Below is a list of the currently banned female Champions:
- Ahri
- Akali
- Ashe
- Caitlyn
- Cassiopia
- Diana
- Elise
- Evelyn
- Fiore
- Irelia
- Janna
- Karma
- Katarina
- Kayle
- Leblanc
- Leona
- Lissandra
- Lulu
- Lux
- Miss
Fortune - Morgana
- Nami
- Nidalee
- Oriana
- Quinn
- Riven
- Sejuani
- Shyvana
- Sivir
- Sona
- Soraka
- Syndra
- Tristana
- Vayne
- Vi
- Zyra
Although many players have also criticized the developers, Riot Games, they’re not actually to blame. The developers financially support the League of Legends WCG tournament but certain countries, including Iran, are just given basic permission to host such events and are not included in the financial support program. It is also worth noting that WCG Iran do not share the same political views as the Iranian government.
For additional information you can visit the official WCG Iran Facebook page.