BIG signs two Ukrainians to its academy and Spiidi as coach

German esports club BIG has updated its Counter-Strike 2 youth roster. The organization has signed two Ukrainian players – Denys "tripex17" Haponov and Anton "doni" Savienkov – which previously played for Wildcard's academy.

In addition, renowned German esports athlete Timo "Spiidi" Richter has taken over as the coach of the updated squad. During his pro Counter-Strike career, which ended in 2023, Spiidi competed in seven Majors and earned over $200,000 in prizes.

The new BIG Academy roster will debut on January 21st in the closed qualifier for IEM Rio 2026 – the team will face FUT in the first round of the competition.

 BIG Academy are now:

David "⁠prosus⁠" Hesse
Phillip "⁠w1dow⁠" Hemke
 Jason "⁠JBOEN⁠" Boe Nielsen
Denys "⁠tripex17⁠" Haponov
Anton "⁠doni⁠" Savienkov

Timo "⁠Spiidi⁠" Richter (coach)

Origin: x.com