FlyQuest announced that toplaner Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau will not be competing in their upcoming series of the LTA 2025 Championship against Vivo Keyd Stars. The decision comes in response to backlash surrounding sexist comments he made during a livestream on September 9. He is expected to be replaced by İbrahim "Gakgos" Bulut, the team’s sixth man who joined during the last offseason and has already played two games this Summer.

The organization has released a full official statement, and FlyQuest’s marketing manager Numiii confirmed that the team has "acknowledged and addressed" the situation internally on the FlyQuest official Discord. They also confirmed they will be donating his event prize money to causes that support women in gaming. The backlash comes at a crucial time for FlyQuest, which are fighting to obtain the best seed possible for Worlds 2025.

Bwipo's stream declaration

During his stream, Bwipo spoke at length about the lack of structural support for women in esports. However, several of his remarks have been widely criticized as dismissive and stereotypical:

"Well, I think there's just not enough support for female pro players. Basically, I think women's anatomy and their monthly cycles are extremely different from males, and there is no proper support system for women to go through what they're going through when it comes to competition, in my opinion. And I think even men who play this game just tilt out of their fucking minds when they play League of Legends.

So when a woman is on the wrong part of the month to play competitively, there is a time in the month where you should not be fucking playing competitive games as a woman, in my opinion. This is my experience. I've lived with one a while. She played a lot of League ranked. It was really obvious when she was just getting super irritated at every little thing. And that's not trying to be sexist or anything. It's just the way it was."

Bwipo went on to suggest that women could instead review VODs or play on alternative accounts during their menstrual cycles, concluding that this biological factor makes competition "much harder" for women to pursue compared to men. He framed the remarks as an attempt to highlight overlooked challenges in esports, but his framing and choice of words quickly drew heavy criticism.

The toplaner quickly apologized on X, acknowledging in a brief and concise statement that his words had been hurtful and disrespectful. He also underlined his ignorance as a man speaking on a subject beyond his experience. He accepts both the backlash and his suspension from FlyQuest. The suspension has only been confirmed for one series of the Regional Championship, meaning he is expected to return for FlyQuest’s second series.

Community reactions

Clips of the stream rapidly spread across Reddit and X, where both fans and professionals voiced their disapproval. Many accused Bwipo of perpetuating harmful stereotypes about women in gaming and downplaying their abilities. Several notable figures in the League of Legends ecosystem, including famous caster and host Eefje "Sjokz" Depoortere, coach Christian "IWDominate" Rivera, and others, publicly weighed in, with many labeling his comments as "sexist," "out of touch," and "embarrassing."