Team Spirit became the first CIS Dota 2 team to win The International since Natus Vincere at the original event in 2011, with a win against tournament favourites PSG.LGD yesterday. The win ended a decade-long drought for Eastern Europe at The International and secured the team $18,208,300 of the $40m prize pool, the largest in esports history. And because Team Spirit is based out of Russia, President Vladimir Putin released a statement congratulating the team on bringing the title to the country for the first time: “I congratulate you on your well-deserved victory at The International 2021 Dota 2 World Championship,” President Putin said. “On the way to the final, you demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities and cohesion, and in the decisive match, which became a real test of skill and character, you managed to concentrate and seize the initiative from strong rivals at the most crucial moment. In fact, we have proved that our esports athletes are always focused on results and are able to conquer any peaks.” Russia has a strong presence in tier one and tier two Dota, with organizations like Virtus Pro, Team Empire, AS Monaco Gambit and Spirit leading the way.v
