Intel Extreme Masters Katowice, the tournament that has put Poland on the esports map for all time, will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year. It is almost a tradition that IEM starts the year for the professional esports scene. Why has the competition in Spodek become cult and where is the essence of the phenomenon of the competition in Spodek?
Ten-year history
In 2013, Katowice was granted the privilege of the Intel Extreme Masters organization for the first time. The highlight of the program was then the struggles in League of Legends. There was also Starcraft 2 and the fledgling Counter Strike: Global Offensive.
The event gained momentum and panache with the next edition. 2014 was, is and will surely be an exceptional year in the history of Polish esports forever. The victory of the Polish Virtus.pro team contributed to the enormous popularization of esport, with an emphasis on CS: GO. It attracted new fans, and a victory on your own ground is a triumph written in golden voices. The first and unfortunately the last one for Poles in the Spodek Arena, but at the same time so unique.
The following years only gave IEM more enthusiasm, and there were more and more eager people from all over the world to come to Spodek. Counter Strike dominated the event – Katowice was called the capital of the world CS: GO for a reason. For those few days, fans of esports and broadly understood gaming came to Silesia. Since 2015, the IEM Expo fair was held at the International Congress Center in parallel with the event.
During subsequent editions, the games available at IEM also changed. League of Legends last appeared in Spodek in 2018. Occasionally, Dota 2 appeared, as well as “battle royale” productions – Fortnite and PUBG. However, it was CS: GO that continuously reigned supreme during the Katowice esports celebration.
Katowice = Counter Strike
Why Counter Strike? After all, there are so many other productions that also have a lot of loyal fans. After all, Katowice could also be a field for them to show off. The events of 2014 played a key role.
It was then that the Polish Virtus.pro became the winner of the IEM (we mentioned this victory in). It was widely echoed, and even people not particularly involved in esport heard about the topic. The success of a completely different measure, which took the popularity of the tournament to a new level. The first CS: GO legends were born here. It was here that the greatest powers in the history of production triumphed. Here the game about clashes between anti-terrorists and terrorists has gained its true soul.
This is why IEM has become such a phenomenon. Because it goes hand in hand with tradition and unique history, which for years was framed by a great atmosphere combined with the doping of thousands of throats. Katowice – the heart of the global Counter Strike. Micha³ “Carmac” Blicharz, VP Product Development at ESL, involved in the annual organization of IEM said:
In our boldest dreams, we could not imagine what this place would become when the Intel Extreme Masters tournament visited Katowice for the first time. This event represents the fulfilled dreams of all those who wanted to contribute to the development of esport. They are also unforgettable memories of all fans and players who have been with us for years
The Kings of Spodek
We have already articulated why Katowice is so special for Polish fans. However, not only local players and fans have created the legend of this place. IEM was the birthplace of the squad that once dominated the CS: GO scene and triumphed in Spodek itself three times (2015, 2016, 2018)! We are talking about the Swedish Fnatic.
A controversial band, booed many times by the Katowice public. It would take a long time to write about the specifics of this team, but her hallmark was her vigor, self-confidence, and even sometimes insolence. Everything, however, resulted from the awareness of his own skills. The Poles also won the Swedes due to the defeat of Virtus in 2015, against Fnatic in the semi-finals. It was then that the crown was irretrievably thrown from the head of the Polish “Bears”. The Scandinavians became the new kings.
Astralis was also successful in Katowice. The Danes won in 2017 and 2019. The last two years have been proof of the domination of the CIS region on the CS: GO scene. In 2020, Natus Vincere took the highest position on the podium, and last year’s, an exceptionally online edition, was won by Gambit.
Katowice was the first to take the blow from the coronavirus
In February 2020, traditionally, esports fans had their eyes turned to Spodek. All participants came to Poland, as did a significant number of fans. Unfortunately, the entire continent was affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and slowly the world. Due to safety reasons, the voivode of Silesia ordered that the event will be a closed event without the participation of fans.
This caused a lot of controversy, because although the intentions and purpose of the decision were understandable, it was made practically just before the start of the event. So it turned out that thousands of esports supporters came to Poland for free.
IEM Katowice was the first such a large esports event to suffer from an epidemiological threat. The moment NAVI lifted the cup was surreal. Instead of euphoria, the stands in Spodek were completely silent. The shock caused by the turn of events was perfectly conveyed by the emotional statement of “Carmaca”:
If you bought tickets to Katowice, if you wanted to see a wonderful event and have a good time in Spodek, I apologize. We will do everything to give you the best experience possible. Please, watch the tournament on Twitch (online). The saucer is closed. Sorry.
And it remained that way in the following year as well. IEM Katowice 2021 was for the first time fully played online. This time there weren’t even players in Silesia. The heart was breaking down, because some kind of tradition had died.
A new beginning
The entire happiness of 2022 brought more optimistic forecasts. The event will be attended by fans and those who have tickets should be packing soon, as the start is just around the corner. Only fans with a valid covid passport will be able to enter the Spodek area.
Apart from CS: GO, this year’s edition will also include a Starcraft 2 competition, in which two Poles will participate – Miko³aj “Elazer” Ogonowski and Piotr “Spirit” Walukiewicz.
The main part of the event, and also the one open to the public, will take place on February 25-27. May this time the esports celebration organized in Poland take place without any perturbations. Let all fans be accompanied only by those emotions related to the competition of their favorites.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
