Counter-Strike 2 pro player Joel ‘joel’ Holmlund has been permanently banned from competition as a result of cheats being found on his PC. However, part of that ban was also punishment for threatening the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) in trying to get the ban verdict delayed or overturned.
Cheating is nothing new in Counter-Strike 2 and is even arguably the biggest problem Valve faces in keeping the game fun and engaging for players. It’s notoriously full of cheaters at every rank, leaving the community constantly pressuring Valve to do more to counteract offending players.
This is true even in pro play, with pro Counter-Strike having several cheating scandals over the years. The latest banned player, joel, was a repeat offender who had been flagged by the board multiple times in the past 2 years.
The ESIC ultimately chose to give this player a lifetime ban after these events, barring him from competing in Counter-Strike 2 or any other esport overseen by the Esports Integrity Commission.
CS2 player banned after cheating and blackmailing officials
The ESIC explained that joel was found to be cheating on August 4, 2024, almost a year ago at the time of publishing this article. He was found guilty of having aimbot, triggerbot, and other cheats on his PC and also was found to be fixing matches in competitive play.
He asked for the commission to delay going public with the verdict in order for him to find “alternate employment,” and they agreed out of courtesy.
However, when the ESIC was about to go public with the news, joel blackmailed them with what the commission described as “fabricated allegations”.
“Following the expiration of this grace period, Mr. Holmlund issued a threat to blackmail ESIC, with fabricated allegations, in response to ESIC’s intention to make the matter public — an act ESIC considers to be an egregious breach of its Integrity Program,” they explained in a public statement.
“This latest misconduct constitutes Mr. Holmlund’s third breach of the ESIC Integrity Program within a 24-month period and reflects a sustained disregard for the principles of integrity and fair play in esports.”
From there, they threw the book at the now-former Counter-Strike 2 pro, hitting him with 12 different infractions and giving him an immediate lifetime ban from all events the ESIC oversees.
Additionally, they recommended any tournament organizers who aren’t under their umbrella, including Valve themselves, uphold the ban and bar him from any and every tournament.
Even for players like forsaken, one of the most infamous Counter-Strike cheaters ever, their bans are not permanent. Lifetime bans are a verdict retained for only the most egregious offenders, making joel one of few CS players who will never be able to return to pro play in most of the game’s biggest events.
