Representing Team Bangladesh, Dota 2 giants The Covenant have qualified to the main round of the Open Esports Students Games (OXY) 2024. In the recently-concluded South Asia qualifiers, Team Bangladesh secured the 3rd position with 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss.

Consisting of Faisal Arman Anik (Hiraeth), Mohammed Sayakh Altaf (Senpai), Imtiaj Ahmed Rohan (WindTouch), Anjum Ferdous Utsho (copycat), and MD. Rafee Alam (Zet^), the group not only beat the tournament favourites India, but also took down teams from Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

The team's charge towards qualifying began on August 22. A fairly rocky start saw them lose 2-0 against Team Nepal. However, the fight was still on as they stole a point against Team Pakistan by drawing the game. The newfound momentum set the stage for a triumphant 2-0 victory over India. Later on, the team went on to defeat both Team Bhutan and Team Sri Lanka, which cemented their feet in the main event.

Despite the team’s outstanding achievement, their journey to the qualifiers was one that was marred by controversy. As it turns out, The Covenant’s DOTA 2 roster was automatically selected to represent our national team, without a local qualifying phase being held to give others a chance.

Secondly, as the tournament is supposed to be exclusive to students, concerns have been raised about the age eligibility of certain players in the roster. Seeing as this could’ve been a fantastic opportunity for young talents to shine through, questions about the automatic qualification of Team Bangladesh members will remain.

The main stage of OXY 2024 is set to be held in Sochi, Russia, from October 2024 onwards.