The 2022 Mid-Season Invitational in Busan, South Korea, won't have the champion of the 2022 LPL Spring Split attend the event in person. Naz Aletaha, Global Head of LoL Esports at Riot Games, released a statement today, saying that the travel restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic hinder travel between China and South Korea.

However, the LPL champion will still be able to compete at MSI remotely. "After extensive diligence performed by our technology, events, and competitive operations teams, we are able to allow the qualifying LPL team to compete remotely from China," Aletaha writes. "The team will play from either their team training facility or from the LPL Arena in Shanghai, in accordance with local health and safety protocols."

Solving latency issues

Of course, when one team plays remotely and the others on LAN, there are questions about the latency difference. In order to level the playing field, the announcement says, all participating teams will play on a 35ms ping using a latency tool. It is the same equipment used in 2020 for the Mid-Season Cup, a replacement for the absent MSI in that year. Riot Games also will employ referees on-site to warrant the integrity of the competition.

The 2022 Mid-Season Invitational kicks off on May 10. The LPL champion is yet to be crowned; coming Saturday, April 23, RNG and Top Esports play in the grand finals of the Spring Split to determine who will get to represent the Chinese league on the international stage. A few other regions have determined their representatives already. You can find an overview of the MSI attendees here.