The “Take the Throne” event, a video game featuring cars that score goals with a ball, similar to soccer, was scheduled to occur on 23 November at the Batiment des Forces Motrices venue in Geneva. The controversy began after Patrice Bailo de Spoelberch, founder of the BDS team, whose surname initials form the team's name, posted a contentious statement on social media: “A woman who dares to use abortion should lose the right to ever have children.” Although the post was subsequently removed from X, critics circulated a screenshot of the comment.
The following day, three of the eight invited teams—Gentle Mates, Karmine Corp., and Team Vitality—issued a joint statement announcing their withdrawal from the event. They denounced the “disrespectful and controversial” remark, asserting that they “cannot accept any association of our clubs and values with such speech.” In response, BDS released a message clarifying that “the statements made by our founder are his own and do not align with the vision and values of our players, employees, partners, fans, or staff members.” The team further announced the cancellation of the event and promised “prompt internal measures.”
Bailo de Spoelberch later issued an apology, describing his initial statement as “extremely clumsy” and clarifying that it “does not represent my true thoughts.” He emphasized, “Every woman must have control over her body and is free to terminate a pregnancy.” He concluded by expressing remorse to “all the women and people I offended.”
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