The group stage format of LMHT at ASIAD causes worry among many spectators.
As known, on September 5th (Vietnam time), on some forums of the League of Legends community, the latest information about ASIAD has been shared by some LPL fans. This information is highly accurate as LPL is the region hosting ASIAD. Furthermore, this information seems to be taken from a file system which, according to many opinions, could be notifications sent by the ASIAD organizers to the participating teams.

Besides using the old version, another format also raises many spectators' concerns: each match in the group stage will only be a BO1 round-robin with points, and only one team from each group will advance along with the seeded teams determined from the Road to ASIAN Games back in June. This format is likely familiar to many LMHT fans as it was the previous group stage format for the World Championship. However, at ASIAD, each team only has one match in the group stage, no rematch.

This triggers an invisible concern. Many fans surely recall the 'GAM shock' at Worlds 2022 when the VCS representatives defeated Top Esports - the LPL runner-up at the time. GAM's victory directly led to TES nearly losing any chance to stay in Worlds 2022. There's a straightforward opinion: 'A foolish format. Imagine teams like Korea losing and being eliminated just because of one match against Vietnam or Taiwan.'


But evidently, the ASIAD organizers have their reasons, and teams must adhere to them. Moreover, at such a crucial event like ASIAD, the South Korean representatives themselves are viewed as top contenders for the gold medal. If they falter against the representatives of Taiwan or even Vietnam and are eliminated, then perhaps they have only themselves to blame for not preparing as thoroughly as possible.
