gr1ks ruled out for DreamHack Knockout Atlanta due to visa issues

German organization BIG have confirmed that Belarusian AWPer Gleb "gr1ks" Gazin will miss the DreamHack Knockout Atlanta tournament due to visa issues. In his place, BIG will field Jason "JBOEN" Nielsen from their academy team as part of their quest to secure a spot in ESL Pro League Season 23 after a difficult year for the lineup.

BIG were one of the first teams to confirm their attendance at the $10,000 Atlanta LAN, with the promise of a ESL Pro League spot proving quite lucrative for the organization after spending the entire year outside of the top 30 in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS).

As such, the 20-year-old JBOEN will have a lot riding on his shoulders at his second international LAN, especially as the organization will need to best teams like M80, Marsborne, and Imperial to secure a spot in ESL Pro League.

BIG are currently playing their first game of the day against a low-level NA squad named Ban Baker.

For DreamHack Knockout Atlanta, BIG will field:

• Johannes "tabseN" Wodarz

• Jon "JDC" de Castro

• David "prosus" Hesse

• Lukas "FreeZe" Hegmann

• Jason "JBOEN" Nielsen (Stand-in)

• Sebastian "xenn" Hoch (Coach)