ATOX has been disqualified and banned from PGL Counter-Strike events amid an investigation from the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC).
As a result, the Mongolian esports organisation is unable to play in the Asian closed qualifier for the upcoming PGL Bucharest tournament.
PGL confirmed ATOX had received a ban on March 6th, 2025, citing a ‘provisional suspension from ESIC’ as the reason behind the decision. The tournament organiser is a member of ESIC alongside other event organisers such as BLAST.
In addition to PGL, ATOX is also banned from competing at the BLAST Open Lisbon tournament due to the suspension.
ESIC is yet to share the exact reasoning behind the suspension, but it is rumoured that ATOX is under investigation for suspected match-fixing while competing in Season 20 of the ESL Pro League.
“ESIC internally stated that the investigation may last for several weeks,” revealed Chinese Counter-Strike 2 commentator Yunqing ‘Searph‘ Hu in a social media post.
“The organiser of the next competition for this team said that they have learned about the ongoing investigation and are ready to prepare a plan for the team to be banned at any time,” he added.
ESIC aims to ensure that integrity within the esports industry is maintained and has an impressive track record of taking action against those committing actions that compromise integrity.
In March, the Commission has issued a three-year ban against Ukrainian Counter-Strike player Ilya ‘Ganginho‘ Chernychenko after he was in violation of betting and corruption regulations.
Will ATOX Return to Counter-Strike 2?
With details on the ESIC investigation still unknown, it’s unclear how long ATOX will be unable to compete in tournaments operated by members of the Commission.
Depending on the severity of the offence, it could be several years before the organisation returns to the top level of Counter-Strike esports.
For now, ATOX won’t be competing in PGL or BLAST tournaments for the foreseeable future.
