Scarlett wins Intel's pre-Winter Olympics 2018 StarCraft 2 event

Image credit: ESL via Twitter

The 2018 Winter Olympics kicks off in Pyeongchang, South Korea this weekend with all the chilly sports the summer Olympians are too scared to compete in. As a precursor to the main event, the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) competition also brought StarCraft 2 to the games—three months after competitive gaming was recognised by the International Olympics Committee as a sport. 

The tournament's finals wrapped up last night, with seasoned SC2 pro Sasha "Scarlett" Hostyn beating some of the world's best to clinch first prize.

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As reported by Reuters, esports' association with the Olympics has not been well received by everyone—"They are two totally different worlds," so says two-time Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety—however the $150,000 IEM event was aired on Twitch, and on the IOC-owned Olympic Channel globally. It's also thought Intel is preparing esports events in-line with the Olympics' 2020 and 2022 competitions.

Scarlett's win sees her become the first female player to win a major international LAN in StarCraft 2. Her victory follows the news Geguri is set to become the Overwatch League's first female player by joining the Shanghai Dragons

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