WEM: Condition Zero

World Esports Masters 2009 might very well go down in history as an event with extreme conditions.

The event kicked off on Saturday, the 12th of December, in the Hanzghou Electronic & Techology University Arena. The arena is circle-shaped and there is great distance from the arena floor, to the arena ceiling. Not much more than the main-stage and chairs for the spectators are located in the arena and with no heating system at all, the temperature inside the area is at a level where players have a hard time focusing on their game.



The organizers had on Monday brought in heating-lamps behind the players and heating-blankets for all the players to use, still players were cold and had to sit in jackets and even wear finger-mittens to keep warm. During deaths and pauses, players would turn around and heat up their fingers at the heating-lamps, as it is impossible for them to maintain a proper heat level during the matches.



A fact is that it is so cold in the arena, that it is hard to tell the difference from being outside or inside the arena. When spot-light is in the direction of your breath, you are able to spot your own breath, giving you the impression of how cold it actually is. The past few days, it has only been a few degrees celsius during day-time, while at night-time, it drops below zero. Players and teams rush from the arena back to the hotel, directly after they have finished their matches.



Organizers of World Esports Masters stress that they hope they will be able to get the heating turned on, bringing the temperature to a comfortable level, prior to the first semi-final on Thursday. Furthermore, they state that it this far has been out of their hands to control the temperature inside the arena.