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N0ne and Samsora give back prize winnings to support CEO Dreamland organiser

After an influx of players asking for refunds threatened the future of CEO Dreamland, some Smash players decided to donate their winnings to help organiser Alex Jebailey.

By Adam Starkey |

First Published March 16, 2020, 00:02

N0ne and Samsora give back prize winnings to support CEO Dreamland organiser

Smash Melee player n0ne turned down his prize winnings to help support CEO Dreamland
The tournament faced financial trouble due to the coronavirus outbreak and many players pulling out of the event
Smash Ultimate player Samsora also gave a portion of his winnings back

Ahead of the tournament, CEO Dreamland organiser Alex Jebailey explained how they were struggling financially due to the volume of players pulling out in light of the coronavirus outbreak.

He opened a PayPal to encourage donations to help negate the damage, which was amplified by the cancellation of the Brawlhalla tournament at the event. It’s an especially dire situation for an FGC tournament, which is largely funded by entry fees from players and attendees.

In light of the situation, Super Smash Bros. Melee player Edgard “n0ne” Sheleby, who finished third in the Melee Singles tournament, decided to give back his $266.50 winnings to help Jebailey’s cause.

Not gonna take the prize money to support @Jebailey and @CEOGaming with what happened in regards to COVID-19

Great event, had lotsa fun
Hope everyone enjoyed my play
— UYU丨n0ne (@n0ned) March 15, 2020

This encouraged others to do so too - with Ultimate Singles winner Ezra “Samsora” Morris also donating “a fraction” of his $2,024 winnings back into the tournament.

He was joined by Shintaro "Kuro" Kakihara, who gave back his $770 prize after winning the Ultimate Doubles tournament with Tyler "Marss" Martins.

If you want to help, you can donate to Alex Jebailey’s PayPal account here.

Giving a fraction of my winnings back to @CEOGaming since its always such a great event and to help them recover. Thank you for the amazing event as always @Jebailey WE LOVE CEO AND YOU
— eU Samsora (@Samsora_) March 15, 2020

I donate all my prize of doubles to @CEOGaming
I attend CEODreamland as a graduation trip and it was so much fun !!
Thank you for all who talked to me or played smash together !!
I hope to meet you again😊😊
— クロ/Kuro⚫️ (@_kuro258) March 16, 2020

Due to the travel restrictions, CEO Dreamland 2020 won’t offer Smash World Tour points or contribute to the PGR rankings.

With the amount of event cancellations and delays, it’s also unclear when the next major Smash tournament will take place - with CEO Dreamland potentially offering some of the last Smash competitive action we'll see for some time.

Luckily, there was plenty to shout about - including some upsets which led to Samsora winning the Ultimate Singles while Hungrybox managed a relatively easy victory in the Melee Singles.

You can check out the full results from CEO Dreamland 2020 here.