One of the top contenders for ESWC 2007, Mikhael "HoT" Novopashyn, will not attend the ESWC.

In a statement released by Novopashyn on the Readmore.de website, Novopashyn mentioned that he was unable to obtain a visa in time to attend the ESWC.

The problem stemmed from lack of time, especially since he was in Germany to bootcamp with the rest of the SK Gaming Warcraft III team in Cologne, before heading to Hamburg for the finals. Upon return from Germany to Ukraine, the dates fell on national holidays for his country, so offices were closed, delaying his application.

The embassy did accept Novopashyn's documents for consideration, but still declined him the visa in the end. Novopashyn was part of the high-seed pool and was in the same group as his teammate, Andrey "Deadman" Sobolev for the group stages.

Source:
Readmore.de