US government: Pro League of Legends players are professional athletes

The US government has designated pro League of Legends players as professional athletes, allowing participants to acquire visas for international tournaments.

Riot Games eSports manager Nick Allen explained to GameSpot how the development was huge for international events.

The United States government recognizes League of Legends pro players as professional athletes, and awards visas to essentially work in the United States under that title," he said.

[The visas are] groundbreaking for eSports. [Organizing international tournaments is now] a much easier process, because [players] are actually recognized by the government. This is a huge thing."

Riot Games previously went through a lengthy process” to score the official recognition, going back and forth with American officials until a satisfactory amount of proof was produced.

The League of Legends Season 3 Championship finals is set to take place October 4th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.