FlyQuest suspend Bwipo, top laner to miss first LTA Championship clash

FlyQuest have suspended top laner Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau following a storm of backlash over sexist comments he made during a recent livestream, meaning he will miss the start of their League of Legends Championship of The Americas (LTA) Championship campaign.

The Belgian veteran will also forfeit his event prizemoney, which FlyQuest have pledged to donate to initiatives supporting women in gaming.

During a Twitch broadcast on September 9, Bwipo suggested that women face biological disadvantages in competitive gaming, claiming menstrual cycles make them unfit to play professionally at certain times of the month.

“There is a time in the month where you should not be f—ing playing competitive games as a woman, in my opinion,” he said, before suggesting that women should focus on activities like VOD review instead of competing.

Bwipo added that “competition isn’t going to schedule around your period”, later insisting his remarks weren’t intended to be sexist but based on his “experience” living with a female gamer.

• 

  Fast Payouts

The comments quickly went viral, drawing widespread condemnation from across the esports world. Prominent analyst Isaac “Azael” Cummings-Bentley labeled the take “dumb and dangerous”, pointing to his decades of experience working alongside women like Rumay “Hafu” Wang.

Esports insider Kelsey Moser described the remarks as “legendary foot-in-mouth-ery”, while G2 assistant coach Jonas “Memento” Elmarghichi, who previously coached women’s rosters, called the view “extremely sexist and blatantly false”.

Broadcaster Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere also voiced her disappointment, with many pointing out the irony that FlyQuest run an all-female RED roster dedicated to diversity and inclusion.

• 

  The bookies' bookie

FlyQuest wasted little time in issuing a statement on X, condemning Bwipo’s words as “antithetical” to their values.

“Comments that might discourage even one young woman from pursuing her dream of becoming a pro player harm the future of esports, and we take that very seriously,” the post read.

The organization emphasized that while their first instinct is education, accountability was essential in this case.

The suspension removes Bwipo from FlyQuest’s crucial upcoming LTA Championship series against Keyd Stars on September 20.

The fallout comes just days before the launch of League of Legends’ all-female Game Changers Rising circuit, which aims to open doors for women and marginalized-gender players in competitive gaming.

Esports figures like Barento “Raz” Mohammed used the incident to highlight structural barriers women face, from unequal household support to constant online harassment.

For FlyQuest, the decision underscores their ongoing commitment to diversity through their RED program, which champions underserved communities in gaming.

For Bwipo, however, the suspension means missing one of the most important matches of the season — and a chance to cement FlyQuest’s playoff run.