ESL appoints bsl as Tournament Director

The 35-year-old, who officially started the job on August 1, is in charge of the execution of all ESL high-profile competitions, including ESL Pro League, ESL One and IEM tournaments.

A former professional player, Jonas "⁠bsl⁠" Alsaker Vikan represented teams like Made in Brazil, Catch-Gamer and NoA during his career. He attended multiple CPL and ESWC events and also WEG Masters 2006, where Catch-Gamer famously beat SK 16-0 in the group stage.

After retiring as a player, in 2007, he worked as General Manager of the Championship Gaming Series (CGS) franchise Berlin Allianz. He has since reported for Norwegian newspaper Adresseavisen, winning several awards as well as a diploma from SKUP - the country's most prestigious honour for investigative journalism and the equivalent to the Pulitzer prize in the United States. 

His last appearance at an international esports event came at the very first Major, DreamHack Winter 2013, where he worked as a Host together with Scott "SirScoots" Smith.

"I was always a fan of competitive gaming and fortuned enough to turn my hobby into a profession," bsl said in a statement.

"It is amazing to see how far the industry has come, and I am very excited to become an active part at ESL, pushing and fostering esports even further in the upcoming years."

bsl's first event will be ESL One New York, from September 16-17, where eight teams will battle it out for $250,000 in cash prizes.