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A Practice Gone Too Far

What was supposed to be a standard Counter-Strike 2 scrimmage between Team Spirit Academy White and Imperial Valkyries quickly spiralled into controversy after members of Spirit’s academy allegedly made sexist remarks toward their female opponents.

The incident took place during a practice session on October 21, when Imperial Valkyries paused the game to resolve a technical issue. According to screenshots shared by Imperial’s assistant coach, Reinis “hyskeee” Grīnbergs, Spirit Academy players Artur “fernando_mag” Kaliuzhnyi and Kirill “k0gaSs” Emelyanov exchanged inappropriate messages in the in-game chat, with one comment reading, “he would give it to each of you in the mouth.”

Viktoria “tory” Kazieva, the in-game leader of Imperial Valkyries, said on X (formerly Twitter) that she had “never experienced worse behaviour” from an opponent, adding that “even FACEIT Premium is not that bad compared to this.”

Community Backlash

The esports community quickly rallied behind the Valkyries, condemning the comments made during the scrimmage. Players, coaches, and fans alike expressed outrage online.

Hyskeee called out the organisation directly, writing, “It’s crazy that even people in practice from an organisation like Team Spirit can talk stuff like this when practising against girls.” He also tagged Spirit’s scout Aleksey “OverDrive” Biryukov and academy coach Dmitry “S0tF1k” Forostyanko, urging them to take responsibility for the behaviour of their academy roster.

North American player GooseBreeder called the remarks “gross and embarrassing,” while many others echoed similar sentiments, saying it was unacceptable for such language to persist in professional settings.

Team Spirit Responds

As the screenshots circulated widely on X and Reddit, Team Spirit’s academy head Dmitriy Bukhteyev issued an official statement via Telegram. In the statement, he confirmed that the comments made by players “contradict the values we uphold in our academy and organisation.”

“Team Spirit stands firmly for high ethical standards, respectful behaviour towards opponents, and strictly condemns any form of discriminatory remarks,” Bukhteyev wrote.

“In light of this incident, the players involved will face the strictest disciplinary actions. On behalf of myself and the organisation, we sincerely apologise to Tory and her team.”

Although Spirit moved swiftly to address the situation, many in the community remain sceptical, questioning whether the punishment will be meaningful. Some online users even mocked the statement, suggesting it read like a “ChatGPT-written apology.”

Wider Problem in Esports

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Studies and surveys have consistently shown that women in gaming and esports continue to face harassment and discrimination. A 2016 study from the University of Southern Mississippi found that 75.9% of women reported experiencing some form of verbal harassment in online FPS titles.

While leagues like ESL Impact have helped provide safer, competitive spaces for women, that initiative will end after Season 8 in November. Many now fear that without these dedicated platforms, female players may once again be forced to deal with the same toxicity that incidents like this reveal.

Looking Ahead

Team Spirit’s response was prompt, but the true test lies in how seriously the organisation enforces its disciplinary measures. The controversy also reignites the larger conversation about professionalism, respect, and inclusivity within the CS2 and broader esports scenes.

If esports wants to move forward as a truly global and inclusive industry, behaviour like this can’t simply be brushed aside as “trash talk.”