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The Overwatch League is a yearly tournament organized by the game's developers, Blizzard Entertainment. Initially, quite a few format changes were announced for the 2020 event, including the introduction of 'home' and 'away' matches.
However, due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the tournament was changed to a bi-monthly affair that began in April 2020.
But one of the ongoing playoff matches was marred by an unfortunate incident. Overwatch pro Kim "Birdring" Ji-hyeok appeared to collapse moments after what was arguably his best performance to date. The Los Angeles Gladiators' player had led his team to victory against Toronto Defiant after subbing in for Map 2.
Regardless, it all turned out fine in the end, as the gamer has confirmed that he is feeling better.
Overwatch professional player collapses after clutching a game on live stream
As revealed later, Birdring was showing flu-like symptoms and was feeling dizzy even before the contest. Consequently, he had to miss map one, which his team ended up losing. However, he won a majority of his sniper duels during Map 2, as the game ended up stretching until the final Map 5.
In the final map, Kevin "kevster" Persson rose to the occasion and effectively won the Gladiators the game. However, as the rest of his team celebrated, Birdring could be seen dizzily walking away and collapsing. Needless to say, people on social media were concerned.
It was later revealed that the gamer was feeling dizzy and having trouble standing up before the game. Once subbed in, the intensity of matches, along with the pressure, might have taken a toll, apart from dehydration.
Fortunately, the gamer later confirmed that he was feeling well. He also congratulated his teammate for his heroic performance.
However, users on Twitter were quick to recognize Birdring’s heroics too, as congratulatory messages poured in from all over the world.
Even the official Overwatch League Twitter account got in on the act, and confirmed that Birdring's 'flu-game' will be remembered for a long time to come.
