S1mple makes simple wish
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) superstar Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev is wishing for peace and unity amid the outbreak of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week.
In an emotional speech during the Intel Extreme Masters Season XVI-Katowice in Poland, the 24-year-old streamer from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv stressed that the Russians should stop their military offensive.
Touted as the greatest CS:GO player of all time, s1mple said he wanted to use the prestigious Esports tournament as a platform to get his message across the world.
All of us want peace for Ukraine and the whole world.
“My whole career I have played with Ukrainian and Russian players,” s1mple said days after the Russians launched an all-out military campaign in Ukraine.
“All of them are great guys. We win together and we lose together. All of us want peace for Ukraine and the whole world.”
He said instead of getting divided, Russians and Ukrainian players should stick together amid the ongoing conflict that could escalate into a full-blown chaos.
“All of us are scared. We need to show an example for the whole world to see. We need to stay together as a unit for our friends and for everyone to see. We need to stay human first.”
S1mple’s speech was warmly welcomed by the crowd at the Spondek Arena in Katowice.
Although his squad, Natus Vincere (NaVi), fell short after bowing to G2 Esports via a 0-2 sweep in the semifinals, he still touched the hearts of his fellow players and Esports fans around the world.
With the top three to four finish, NaVi settled for a cash prize of $80,000.
S1mple, however, didn’t keep his purse as he donated his share of $33,000 to the members of the Ukrainian army who are fighting for their country in one of the scariest wars the world had ever seen.